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WITH HIS FAIIILIAR FOREIGN JOURNAL OF A TOUR 

THROUGH PORTIONS OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, 

FRANCE AND ITALY. 



J- ^» . y« / 



PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION, 



NEW-YOEK: 

SAMUEL YOUNG, JTR, 
352 Broadway. 

1855. 






ni^ 






STEPHEN HALLE7, 

BOOK AND JOB PRINTER, 

laa Nassau Street, Hcw-^ork. 



PREFACE. 



The following Journal was communicated by letter 
to the "Bae,atoga Eepublican," printed at Saratoga 
Springs, N. Y., hy Mr. Thomas Gt. Young. Applica- 
tions having been made for back numbers, which could 
not be supplied, it has been deemed civil and polite to 
re-issue it in its present form ; and, as in the first 
instance, without any expectation of pecuniary profit. 

As the Journal is written in a free and easy style, 
errors of composition will be pretty sure to be discov- 
ered ; and this defect is rendered the more probabk, 
as the writer was unable to read and correct the proof 
sheets. If these pages contain any errors of fact, they 
have crept in unwittingly, for the author has endeav- 
ored to tell the truth, although it sadly interferes 
with the romantic notions many Americans imbibe from 
highly colored books of travels m-ade to sell : and 
whose learned features, exhibiting an intimate ac- 
quaintance with ancient and modern history, have been 
borrowed from " Murray's Hand Books for Travel- 
lers." 

Some speculative countryman may decide that, from 
tho great scarcity of soap which the writer has noticed 



PREFACE. 

as prevailing on the continent of Europe, a cargo of 
that useful article shipped thither would produce good 
returns ; but I hasten to inform him that the ladies of 
France and Italy never wash their faces for fear of 
spoiling their complexions ; and as to the men, their 
faces are usually impervious to both soap and water 
from the hairy nature of their aspects. 

T. Q. 
New YoeKj Februaryj 1855. 



^ 



FAMILIAR 



As you, Mr. Editor, are as much of a fresh water- 
sailor as'mj^self, I will give j^ou some of the particulars 
of my vo^^age across the Atlantic. 

Oct. 19^A, 1853. — Sailed in the Eoyal Mail Steamer 
"Arabia" at 12 at noon, down into the ocean, which 
was almost as quiet as the Hudson Eiver. Passed a 
ship which had cleared the previous day for Liverpool. 
Met the "Asia" and exchanged salutes with her. Sat 
down to dinner but could not relish the food, although 
it looked well and' was properly served. A sort of 
smoke-pipe flavor to- every thing. Found that the 
spare berth in my state room had been taken by an old 
acquaintance, which was very agreeable. After tea the 
passengers amuse themselves with backgammon, chess, 
&c., or walk upon deck in the moonlight. 

Oct. 22d.: — The weather still continues fine. There is 
very little motion to the ship. I am not all right inside, 
yet I am not sick. Still this is better than being tossed 
about in j'our state room like a shot in a tobacco box; 
or throwing up the seat of your trowsers, or a piece of 
your liver as big as the side of a house. The people on 
board are mostly Englishmen, and eat hugely. Break- 
fast at half past eight, lunch at twelve, dinner at four, 
tea at half-past seven, and supper any time before ten, 

Oct. 23d. — Sunday. On banks of Newfoundland. 
Heavy swell of the sea and my sickness now begins., 

I* 



6" THE O C E A IT . 

The ship rolls disgustingly. The Bishop of Madras 
and an English Arch-Deacon are on board, but neither 
can preach ; both sea-sick. The Captain reads the ser- 
vice and a sermon to the passengers and the crew. This 
Qaptain has the reputation of being as cross as a bear 
with his legs covered with chesnut burs, but I have failed 
to discover this peculiar trait in his character. 

Oct. 2Uh. — Hazy and damp ; N. E. wind ; ship rolls 
heavily. My sustenance yesterday was one cup of tea 
and two bits of dry toast. To-day, a glass of ice M^ater 
and a cracker. How disagreeable to see these Eno-lish 
gormandising. One mite of comfort — ^yesterday we 
made three hundred and eight mileSj and tcb.day three . 
hundred and twelve. 

Oct. 25th. — This heaving of the breast of one of the 
sons of God still continues, andthe.ship rolls continually. 
. "Wrapped in my overcoat and travelling shawl, I sit like 
''Patience on a monument" gr'irmmg ad nauseam. Here 
in the middle of the ocean I saw to-day a bird cirpling 
near the vessel and skimming the water \^ 

" Lone, wandering, but not lost." 

The sun shines forth and his cheerful beams penetrate 
e,ven to my disturbed refectory. — Curse these passen- 
gers ! how they eat ! — Some of them behave as if they 
could devour all Turkey with as much ease as the great 
bear of Russia will do unless prevented by Bull and 
Qrapeau. 

Oct. '21 til. — ^We have had a stiff north west wind and 
corresponding waves. Have shipped one or two seas 
over our upper deck aft; and the water has run down 
among the state rooms. The Arabia pokes her nose 
into the water and lifts up her tail. I was told she was 
a wet ship, and now I believe it. Tried to eat. Nib- 
bled at some broiled ham and dry toast. "We were good 
friends for a time, Ham and I, and then we parted. 
Waiter, take away that plate of butter ! I loathe the 
sight of it. Like the sea ! No man can like the sea 
unless his interior formation is like that of a porpoise or 
eiiark. But there is a ray of gladness. To-morrow they 
say we shall see land and next day be in Liverpool. 



LIVERPOOL. 7 

^iOct. 29th. — "We passed the hills which skirt the south- 
ern extremity of Ireland yesterday afternoon ; and to-" 
day we are running along the coast of Wales over a 
tranquil sea. After a voyage of about ten days, which 
has been to me most wearisome and sickening, we hail 
the moment when our feet shall once more touch dty^- 
land. An extensive lunch is prepared in the saloon, 
and,charapagne furnished by the steward. The Captain 
is complimented in a short speech by the Bishop of Ma- 
dras, and returns thanks thereforv. The Arabia seems , 
well commanded: The discipline appears good. The- 
bells are struck, and the bostwain's whistle calls the men, 
to. duty in man-of-war style. There is very little hallo-, 
ing or bavN'ling'. The waiters are under perfect subjec-. 
tion; and" a loud word is scarcely heard among them. 
One defect I noticed in the steward's department; no. 
napkins are furnished at table. There is also no barber 
on board. Shaving I found difficult; the state-room 
was not light enough ; and I was obliged to hold on by 
one hand while I operated with the other. When the 
ship rolled heavily, no man, who valued his nose, shaved. 

My intention is. to return next spring.- or summer, in. 
one of our noble ColHns' steamers. 

Half-2oast one.—VTe are now anchored at the bar, 
about twelve miles from, Liverpool A small steamer 
comes after the mails, but we are obliged to remain until, 
high water. Between four and five p. m. we got under 
weigh again and pulled up about a mile from the town. 
A custom house officer here came on board and I had 
the first visual proof of what. a 'slow coach' England is in, 
some respects. The baggage of part of the passengers 
was examined and they got on shore in the small steam- 
er at about seven o'clock. It was nearly nine before 
the rest of us were finished. In , our country, in the 
same space of time, the passengers would have been 
" put through ;*'■ and some of them would have been eat- 
ing pork-steaks in Cincinnati before we reached our 
hotels in Liverpool. 

livery country has it.sjear. I^^have now discovered) 



5 L r V E R r o o t . 

what is England's bugbear. It is segars ! The unf-. 
versril qaestion was — " Have you any segars or tobacca 
among your luggage?" (There is no baggage here.) 
I did not observe how the ladies were ofi' for plug or 
pig-tail, but some of the gentlemen were obliged to pay" 
a round duty for their portions of the weed. -I had 
got nearly to tho "Waterloo Hotel, when an officer met 
me and asked me if I had o.nj segars. 

Those who have seen Montreal have an inkling of 
Liverpool. The streets here are wider, and many of the 
buildings more capacious and massive; and the town 
has the best iDavement I have ever yet seen. The> 
sidewalks in particular are perfectly even ; and where 
streets intersect each other you are obliged to step 
down but an inch or two, instead of a foot, as on the- 
New York sidewalks, thus getting rid of a jap; 

Having relished nothing on- my vpj^age but hard' 
crackers and ice water, and taken but little sustenanc 
altogether, I ordered a mutton chop, «Scc., on arriving 
at the hotel, having first secured a room of the young 
and plump female book-keeper. All the clerks are- 
females. These English hotels, as you may be aware, 
have no public tables. You enter the coffee room- 
around which are ranged several tables, at one of which 
you seat yourself Before you is a clean cloth; and' 
the utensils are kept in the neatest possible orden 
Whatever you call for — no- matter at what hour — is 
brought on, done to a turn, and is excellent in quality. 
Let your lady readers understand that the plate of 
muffins is brought to you seated on a bowl of steaming- 
hot water and thus left to remain. Out of handsome 
silver or plated tea-pots, cream-jugs and sugar-^bowls, 
you make your own tea. I observed that in the 
sinoking room similar plate was used by the gentlemen 
who took toddy. Their hquor was brought in a glass, 
and with it a tea-spoon, a mug of hot water and a 
sugar bowl. They do not here, as with us, rush up to- 
the bar at the word of command, drink hke thunder 
qjid. vanish like lightning ; but they take off their hats. 



LIVEEFOOL. 



and sit down leisurely at little marble tables and talk 
and sip, and sip and talk. John Bull takes his comfort 
in his own way and will not be hurried. He has no 
steam engme of forty horse power under his coat tails 
as Brother Jonathan has. 

' Oct 3 Isf.— Liverpool is not celebrated for sights. 
The Exchange is a handsome edifice ; and in the centre 
of the excellently well paved court behind it, stands a 
eroup of bronze statuary. The. figures around the 
base are larger than hfe, and represent chained slaves 
in various attitudes of despair. Whether they are 
miners or coUiers, or factory hands on short pay, i 
cannot determine. Ou the summi* is a man with o, 
weapon, going to do. something; beside him as a 
wonian— Mrs. Brittania perhaps— doing something; 
Around the whole mass are these words, "England 
expects every man to do his duty." 
^ Liverpool has not much to interest a stranger, i he- 
docks, which extend- &33 five- or,- six miles up the river, 
are massive structures, and will last for centuries. 

I leave for London to-day, from which' ^i/to^e my 
next letter will be written. - 

I requested the fair book-keeper to put m my 
bill a proper fee- for the- servants, as I did not wislx 
to be- annoyed with <•' Please remember the boots,^^ 
" please-remember the chambermaid, sir," the "porter, 
the " waiter," and so on. I was charged three shillings,, 
(sixty-six cents) which was less. than. I expected. _ 

Thei^ailway station, at^ Liverpool is quite- an imposing; 
building. The cars *- are shaped like our old fashioned* 
stao-e coaches, and contain six seats, three at each end, 
facmg each other. The seats and backs are cushioned 
luxuriously, and are very wide and roomy, else they 
would not fit some of these broad4)eamed Enghshmen. 
Your arms have each a well stuffed, wide morocco, 
cashion to rest upon. Lamps are kept contmua%- 
lighted in the cars to. make it more pleasant whiie^ 

* The English call them carriageg.. 



10 L o KD o rc. 

passing through tunnels. No checks are given for thS 
luggage; you are asked your destination, and your 
efiects are placed upon the toji of the car, which haa 
an iron railing around it. The fare to London, two 
hundred and ten miles, was £1,17,0. The speed of the 
cars is regulated by law. We did not travel fast, being 
from half-past nine a. m. to five p.. m., in reaching London. 
Prom Liverpool, for about fifty or sixty miles, the 
raihvay is inferior to our best roads ; but the remainder 
of the distance is rmexceptionable. There was no crowd 
about the different stations, and not so many passengers 
as there would have been in an American train running 
between large towns. We were asked to shew our 
tickets only once during the whole distance. 

As I expected, I found the country in the highest 
state of cultivation. It was generally level ; and though 
there were a few board fences to be seen, the hedge 
prevailed and added largely to the rural appearance of 
the scene. Along the hedges were in many places 
rows of trees. The fields themselves seemed as well 
tended as lawns, and resembled them. Great num- 
bers of sheep were to be seen ; and they, as well as 
the horses and cattle, appeai'ed of the true blood. The 
farm houses were plain, low structures, but looked neat 
and tidy. 

On a romantic round hill to our right, nearly half- 
way to London, I saw an old castle. 

Before leaving America I had been told that the 
schoolmaster was abroad. I think there were evidences 
of him at Warrington ; and I also believe that he is of 
Irish extraction. A sign there, over a shop door, reads 
thus — "Open Always. Sundays Excepted." 

On arriving at the metropolis we took a cab and 
drove to the Trafalgar House, Charing Ci'oss. It is a 
very plain hotel, inside and out, but truly English — - 
cgrnfortahle. It is near Trafalgar Square, whore stands 
Nelson's monument ; and not far from the celebrated 
hotel, Morley's, where many Americans stop and pay 
six or eight dollars a day. It costs between three and 



London* 11 

five dollars a day (wine not included) at the plainef 
English hotels. 

The first thing that struck me on entering London, 
was the massive appearance of the buildings. Many 
of them are quite high, and all of them are built to 
endure. I saw only one building in process of erection 
or alteration in Liverpool, and I have as yet seen none 
in London. They do not change the fashion of their 
houses as we do in N«w York, altering them from brick 
to stone, from stone to marble or iron-. 

As I had been so fortunate as to stumble on an old 
friend in Liverpool, who has visited Europe before, and 
who joins forces with me until we reach Paris, I induced 
him to go with me to the Haymarket Theatre, which 
was near our hotel. It is well enough in its way, and 
is about the size of Wallack's Theatre, New York, 
though by no means so brilliantly lighted. George 
Vandenhoff was there doi7ig Hamlet — and he did it. 
There was not a full house. It requires his sire, the 
** elder Vandenhoff," to fill the part of Hamlet. 

Nov. \st. — x^fter a sound night's sleep in a clean bed, 
I awake in London. I cannot realize it, for it seems a 
dream. The fact will doubtless become transparent 
when my bill is handed in. 

The day is like our Indian summer, warm and hazy» 
"We took a stroll into St. James' Park. A detachment 
of the Horse Guards, mounted all on black Normandy 
horses, was passing through. They do not look any 
more formidable than a corps of cavalry, composed of 
butchers or cartmen, which you see in New York 
mounted on white or grey horses. Give those men 
the same officers and drilling, and upon them would I 
stake ray money. A military band was playing in fine 
style in the Park, and a good many pedestrians were 
to be seen. Several cows were tied to the railings, 
and on tables near them were cups of fresh w^arm milk 
advertised for sale. It is supposed here to be a good 
drink for consumptives. 

St. James' Park is, perhaps, twice as large as our 



m L O N J) O N . 

"Washington Square in New York. * It contains a 
pond with a pretty little isiaad in its centre. A great 
-variety of aquatic birds were swimming about, among 
them black and white Swans, which came to the shore 
'often to be fed by the children. Rare shrubbery and 
flowers are to be seen in the Park. 

St. James' Palace is close by the railing. It is an 
'extensive but not a high building, of brick, and in an 
old style of architecture. It is only inhabited by a few 
jroyal paupers, except when the Queen holds her draw- 
ing rooms and receptions there. When, in toMm, she 
resides in Buckingham Palace, which fronts the Park 
'lower down. This last palace is of stone, painted ' 
yellow, and is taller and more extensive than St. James'. 
It is not showy, but looks as if it might be a college, or 
an asylum for the deaf and dumb, which palaces some- 
times are when the people are suflferiiig. Before the 
gates of the two palaces sentinels are continually 
marching. The Queen is now at Windsor Castle. 

Fronting the park is the princely residence of the 
Duchess of Sutherland ; the lady who is in treaty to 
Ipurchase the black'^population of the Southern Stateet 
In style and splendor, they say, she eclipses royalty. 

The "Horse Guards" is also on the Park, besides 
■other celebrated buildings. 

The streets of London, as far as I have y6t observed, 
•'are well paved and kept clean. The people, to my 
surprise, walk quite as fast as the Americans, who 
have been laughed at so much by travelers for their 
haste. The English grufifness, often spoken of, I have 
Hot as yet met with. The people appear civil and 
polite. The police are seen in all directions, dressed 
in their neat uniforms, with coats buttoned up to the 
chin by metal buttons, and white gloves upon their 
hands. They are extremely obhging, ' and will go out 
X)f their way to direct strangers to the places they seek. 
'The vehicles are different from ours, if I except the 

"* A correction of this estimate will be found hereafter. 



LONDON. 13 

cab, or "car," as it is called in Liverpool The omni- 
buses are not so large, and there is no check string 
inside. The collector stands outside upon a little shelf 
beside the door, and takes the faro as you alight. 
There is a sort oF miniature cab frequently seen, capable 
of containing two persons. The driver sits on an 
elevated seat behind. The vehicle looks elastic ; and 
the passengers would, in case of the harness failing, be 
apt to turn, what is called in circusses, a " back sum- 
ttie?set." Large cars to which are attached two or 
three huge horses, tandem style, are used for the 
transport of merchandize through the town. The cab 
and omnibus horses, generally, are not much more 
good looking than ours. 

The Strand is a crowded thoroughfare, and is con- 
tinued by Fleet Street, Ludgate Hill, &c. It is not 
teo difficult to cross as parts of Broadway, but agility 
is necessary. The shop windows, lighted up brilliantly 
at night by gas lights outside, protected by large tin 
reflectors, are usually riot so high and showy as ours, 
but much wider. 

In the Strand stands Temple Bar, an old gate once 
forming part of the ancient wall of the city. It has 
been customary, on an accessiori.to the throne, for the 
monarch to ride to Temple Bar and ask formal 
permission of the Lord Mayor to enter the city. It 
is not probable that any Mayor would venture to 
answer the sovereign in the words of the negro melody t 

'■ Tou ain't good look'nor. 
And you can' t come in." 

Ludgate Hill is not a hill, but a slight elevation.-*- 
Beyond it stands the renowned St. Paul's, browned by 
time, except in spots where its white stone is visible, 
it is a huge edifice but did not come up to my idea. 
Sir C. "Wren has built himself a large nest. Service 
was performing iri the chapel when I went in. The 
music was good. I looked up into the large dome ot 
the church, but did not ascend to it, and of course nofe 
to the "ball" far above it-. 

2 



14 LONDON. 

Farther on is tho Lord Mayor's residence, which is 
capacious and stately, with cohimns in front. Near it 
is tho Exchange, part of which was erected in the timo 
of Elizabeth. Over the entrance arc these words — • ' 
*'Thc earth is the Lord's and tho fullness thereof." 

Near the Exchang-e is the Bank of England, a low 
structure, but covering a great deal of ground. Thero 
are many rooms filled with clerks, old and young, 
working by a dingy light and wearing out their *ye3. 
I did not attempt any "run xipon the Bank " I do 
not know how many hmidred people are employed in 
this buil'ling, but thei'c arc several. A bank note has 
to pass through two or three hands before you get the 
cash for it. It is never re-issued, but cancelled on tho 
epot. This would not agree with the small note issue 
of our banks; the paying and cancelling would require 
steam power. 

Still onward and you reach the celebrated prison-* 
palace, tho Tower of London, by tho side of the 
Thames. It is composed of several buildings, resembling 
fortresses, collected in and around a hollow square. 
Part of the buildings were consumed by lire and havo 
been re-built. Sentinels were posted around, and a 
company of soldiers were being drilled in the court 
yard. Our guide, dressed in a sort of crimson blouse, 
with ono crown worked on his back and another on 
bis breast, first led us into the grand armory. Hero 
we saw many figures of old Kings and warriors on 
horseback, horse and man clothed in the identical 
armor worn by their living originals. There was also 
a great collection of arms of" all ages, and trophies 
captured from enemies. The revolving pistol, with 
several barrels, revolving guns, &c., were to be seen. 
This pistol I had supposed a modern invention. In 
the court-yard were cannon of all kinds, some with 
several barrel's and revolving, and some as long as tho 
mast of a North Eiver sloop. We were shown tho 
coat in which AVolfo fell at Quebec; a block on which 
eeveral noblemen had been beheaded — the marks of 



LONDON. 15 

tHe axe still visible; and in the White Tower I entered, 
with others, and stood in the narrow cell where no 
sunlight can ever penetrate, in which Sir Walter 
Raleigh was confined, and in which he wrote his- 
history of the v^"orld. Thumb screws and otherinstru'-- 
ments of torture were shewn to us. We entered the^ 
tower in which Lady Jane Grey was- held a prisoner, 
and on the walls of v\diich she has carved her name- 
thus — lANE. The walls were ornamented' by the- 
car\angs of' other prisoners, who thus beguiTed' the- 
wcary time. In the court-3^ard I stood upon the very 
spot Vv'here Lady Jane was executed. She is buried^ 
in the old church close at hand. In passing, on we 
^w^ere shewn the tower and room in which the young- 
princes were murdered by their affectionate relative,. 
Richard the Third. 

We took a small steamer at London Bridge — the old' 
London Bridge is gone— a sort of omnibus steamer, 
many of which are seen upon the Eiver Thames, and- 
whichare exceedingly well managed', and' passed' up the- 
classic stream. We saw several of the bridges, but none 
of them astonished' me, as I had seen the Croton Aque- 
duct. We saw also on the banlts of the river, one of 
the old palaces, Somerset House. The Eiver Thames 
is not liere a large stream. It might fill the eye of the.- 
poet who wrote the verses commencing — 

" Ffom rise of mom till set of sun, 
I've suc:i the mighty Mwhawk ran !-' ' 

Nov. 2d. — My stay in London being very brlef^ I had' 
determined to see only a few of the sights at this time, 
but certainly Westminster Abbey, where lie- buried the 
great and,, famous of England. But my companion, 
wished to go to-.France; and as England is handsomest 
in May and June, I hope to be here about that period! 
The sights of London are not to be seen in -months. 
There are, of course, many objects that a stranger can 
well pass, but much worthy of attention in a city of 
nearly three millions of people. To the rural districts 
of England and Scotland I very much desire to go, but 
this- is not the proper season.. 



IS LONDON. 

To-morrow morning we take the cara for Folkst&noy 
eighty-two miles distant, Avhere we intend to cross th& 
channel to Boulogne, and so to Paris. But we first wish 
to go to Dover, a few miles from Folkestone, and see 
Shakspeare's cliif. We shall probably remain a day in 
Boulogne. Here we are almost at home ; there we shall 
be in a foreign land. As the communication between 
France and America is not so frequent as between ua 
and England, you may not receive my ofF-hand Journal 
regularly. It may also miscarry at times, and as I do 
not deem it worthy of copying, there may be a break in 
^y story. In that case, I presume yourself and readers 
will manage to do without it. 

Ncv. 2>cL — We left London in one of the fogs for 
which she is celebrated. On crossing London Bridge 
and arriving at the station, — a fine building with aglass-- 
covered roof, — we were first obliged to purchase tickets 
before our luggage could be placed on the cars. To 
ehow that these countries are brought now very near 
together, we observed railway advertisements posted 
around, si gnifjing that you could go from London to Pa- 
ris in twelve hours ; from London to Switzerlandintwen* 
ty-six hours, &c. 

A carpetbag, or even a newspaper placed upon a 
seat, secures it for you. We had an, entire car^ of six 
Beats, to ourselves. A tall gentleman did get in, and 
with his long legs interfered with mine; but one of tho 
"servants of thecompaay"' (to whom you are requested 
to give no fee) seeing it,, gaye the- gentleman, a seat in 
another car, which hcj liked, bette'*, and told us that he 
thought we wOiuM like, to have a car to ourselves. Be- 
fore I could- speak, he remarked, " I will be back pres- 
ently," which, of course, we understood perfectly ; and 
when he did comeback, pretending to look for more of 
"thegentleman's luggage under the seat, a hand dropped, 
his fell to meet it, they touched, he said "-Thank you;'*" 
locked,, us in, and retired. The fee was not much, yet 
we -had the car .to ourselves all the way, there being, of 
^ course, , no crovvd' of passengers., We left at Lalf-paal 



P O L K E S T O N E . tlT 

eleven o'clock and reached Folkestone at ten minutes^ 
past two, the distance about eighty-two miles. Wq- 
went to a fine, large hotel, not gaudy, but all right; and 
my window, before which I now write, looks down upon 
the cllannel which wo must cross to reach; France. 

The country between London and Folkestone- is very- 
like that between Liverpool and London, though in ad- 
dition to the number of sheep visible in the fields, we 
observed a good many hop plantations. From the mul- 
titude of ale and beer signs in London, I thought that 
hops must necessarily grow somewhere. Some of the 
English farms appear a little too artificial. Under the 
clumps of trees, for instance, planted or left standing, 
you do not see the red, yellow and green leaves, as in 
our Avoods. There is a little excess of art and not quite 
enough of Nature. I have seen farms in America, that 
if thev had but the hedge fence, I should prefer to these. 
Our farm houses are prettier, but these are more dura- 
ble, being of brick or stone, with venerable moss cover- 
ed roofs. 

The highways which I- saw are much more narrow 
between the fences than with us, the land being in more 
request ; but their roads look in excellent order. 

We passed several parks of the -'nobility and gentry," 
which looked inviting to the eye of' the head, but the 
picture formed in the mind's eye of one democratically 
inclined, shewed that park cut up into farms, and ma* 
king twenty families comfortable, instead of only one. • 

The Pavilion Hotel at Folkestone is built of brick, 
and is very extensive, with capacious grounds attached. 
A town of eight thousand inhabitants could not support 
Buch an estabhshment, without the aid of the traveling 
public, and those who go to the sea-side in warm weath- 
er. The house is quite full at this late season. Lord 
Norbuv}^, or some other lord, is hero- for -"change of air;" 
and doubtless a number of English snobs have come 
down, so as to have the honor of being under the same 
roof with his lordship. This hotel has a public table at 
llAlf-past two, and again at half-past six. Those wh6 

8* 



18 P O L K EST ON E. 

E refer can take tlieir meals in the coffee room at any' 
our. My companion and myself decidedly prefer this 
last method. In the Coffee Eoom I saw hanging upon 
the wall a large engraving of the Metropolitan Hotel, 
New York. 

Some of the streets of Folkestone are very oM and^ 
narrow, with many antique little buildings. Wi'ere they 
in our country, they would soon be demolished to make, 
room for larger edifices ; or bacause they had too an- 
cient an appearance. If the Coliseum of Rome could 
be transported to the city of New York, if not at once 
razed to the ground, it would be altered and improved 
fei some way ; painted white, perhaps, and green blinds 
^,ung upon it. 

To the west of the main town of Folkestone is. a. 
high and extensive bluff, along the edge of which is a 
delightful walk extending for miles and. overlooking the 
channel. This is the favorite promenade. Upon this 
elevated ground are built the best residences, which, 
like those in Regent Street, Portland Place, Regents 
Park, and in other parts of the West End of Londouj. 
are large and sobstantiiil, without much pretension to 
outward show, I have seen no handsomer dwellings, 
in England, exteriorly, than those in and about the. 
Fifth Avenue, New- York. As to inside conveniences 
and comfort, I presume the English are quite up to, 
our West End snobs. 

Nov. Ath — We left our hotel where gents, are re- 
quested not to keep a newspaper over half an hour, 
and where they are required to appear at the six o'clock 
table with black coats — ladies to come without their 
bonnets — and where dogs are not admitted to the din- 
ing rooms, (dogs, and sad ones, too, do get in some- 
times,) and started for Dover in=a small omnibus drawn, 
by one slow horse over a good MjcAdamized road, six 
and a half miles, in one a;id a half hours. The road 
was cut out of the cliff, along the edge of which it raa 
all the way. 

" Bnt.tania ne«cTs no bulwarkp, 
Ko towers along the stedp I " 



D & V EK . 10 

Yet, on leaving Folkestone, .we had a good view of 
three towers on as raany hills overlooking the water ; 
and lower down the channel, under Folkestone clifi", is 
a venerable old fort. 

We saw some handsome farms on the waj'". Ivy 
creeping up the sides of the buildings, and the roofs, 
covered with moss. So precise are the English farm- 
ers, that the manure in the fields is made up into con* 
ical heaps and disposed in rows perfectly straight. 

On the way I began to rub up my French, for to- 
morrow we propose to cross the channel. I can put 
together but two sentences — Avez vous mon couteaUy 
wtiich is, Have you got my knife ? Now if I go about 
asking tliis q^uestion, I shall be apprehended for a cut- 
throat. Then I have learned a sentence from a shop, 
window in Broadway — Au prix fixe — one price fixed.. 
If I go into one of the Parisian shops for a pair of 
gloves, how am I to ask the price of the female clerk,, 
or give the correct pronunciation? I fear things will 
be brought to. a stand ; I shall not be able ta get on at 
all. But it^niporte ; other ignoramuses have been 
before me. 

Dover is situated in a valley between two high hills, and 
looks out upon the water. It has twenty-two thousand 
i.n.hahitants,. and some handsome dwellings and neat, 
^ops. We ascended one of the hills, in which are cut 
deep and winding passages in case of attack, to the 
castle fort, four hundred feet above the sea. This is 
the first castle I ever entered. It was built by the- 
Normans seven hundred years ago. The corners of 
the buildings are much worn off by time. The walls 
are twenty-four feet thick, with narrow slits in them, 
from which the archers shot their arrows. We saw a 
large stairway where Kings had met and parted; a, 
cell in which Pi'ince Arthur was confined ; the banquet 
hall of the old Vv'arriors where-they used to eat a rOund. 
of beef apiece and drink a cask of wine or ale. This^ 
hall is not very large, but very rough ; and would riot, 
eujit even Sweeny in New York. "The guide, took us. 



2Q D O V E R ►, 

itito a dark apartment where was the well which Har* 
old promised to make over with the castle to William, 
the IS^ormun. It is three hundred and fifty feet deep,, 
and the guide threw down stones that we might hear 
them till they reached. the bottom, which is dry. In 
the- armory I saw a short arquebuss or musket, or, 
whatever it may be, about two feet long, and with.Kcvea 
barrels, which all go ofi' at once. "We were shown an 
ancient clock, five hundred years old, or thereabouts, 
as big as a fanning mill. Upon the walls of one of the 
rooms v>''as paint which had stood six hundred jears. . 
The underground works had been shut np by order of 
the commanding officer, and were not again to be open 
to visitors. In the court yard of the castlp is a tower, 
now used as a gate, fifteen hundred years, old^ and 
built by the Saxons. It has no roof and is myeh^dilap- . 
idated. 

Near at hand was an object of still deeper interest... 
It was composed of two towers, connected by a lower- 
building, with all the corners so decaj'cd and broken, 
that whether, the towers were original)}^ round or 
square, I could not determine. This Avas supposed to . 
be aj'Via^'os, or lighthoase, and was buiit by the lio- 
mans in the year forty-three, being therefore eighteen; 
hundred years old. . 

We descended the hill and walked, about a mile to 
Shakspeare's clifif. It presents its chalky precipice four 
hundred and fifty feet high to the sea. Through its 
body runs the railway ; and ventilators to this tunnel: 
are seen upon the top of the clifi". When we had 
nearly reached the summit, we found a strong built, 
jolly old chap, who had dug out a cave in the clifif, into 
which he invited us, for the purpose of selling us fos- 
sils and minerals. I purcliased a piece of the chalky 
clifi" itself, upon,which adhered a small sliell, which the' 
old man called " a Jiammonitc.'^'' He had been a pilot, 
he told us, but was now obliged to sell " fossles." If 
he was in America he would do well, as a man's servi- 
ces are " thought on there." He said that if we went 



DOVER. 21- 

to the top of the cliffy we could see three Kingdoms ; 
*' the Kingdom, of Hingland, of France and 'Eaven." 
It was foggy, and we saw only England. A coast 
guard was walking on the summit with his spy-glass 
under his arm and a signal station near him. The 
bulky old pilot cam^e after us to give us all the infor- 
mation in his power. " 'Ere," said he, " is the werry 
spot where King Lear came to throw himself off, but 
William Shakspeare perwented him." My friend, a 
gentleman from Islip, Long Island, went ofl" down the 
hill enjoying this joke ; but as for myself, I thought 
the old fellow was quizzing us, but on looking at his 
face it appeared entirely too honest and kind for that. 
Some wag has made him up a story, and he only 
repeats it, Dickens should see this man. He is hoping 
for a " good old French war," so that he may become 
pilot to a battle ship. 

Last year a soldier from the oastle threw himself 
from the cliff, because his wife would not purchase hia 
discharge. He had only si's months to serve. The- 
old pilot went down and assisted to take up the man- 
gled body. 

The acting play of King Lear makes Edgar des- 
cribe this cliff as greatly exceeding four hundred an(i 
fifty feet in height, but Edgar seems to be only striving 
to impress it upon the blind old nobleman^ (his father, 
I think) who, wishes to cast himself from it in hia 
despair.. 

" Hnlf way down hangs one^that gathers samphire ; 
Horrid trade ! " 

That wi'R da well enough, for it would not be pleasant 
to be suspended two hundred feet in air. But as to a 
ship's being -'dwindled to her cock," and her cock a 
buoy, " almost too small for sight," that never could 
haye been in Shakspeare's time, unless cliffs wear away 
in England faster than in i\nj other part of the world. 
"We dined at the Lord Warden's Hotel in Dover. 
This is the largest and finest hotel I have yet seen in 
England. It was built .by, and is kept for the railway 



2!^ D OVE R\. 

company .and has only been open five Aveeks. The- 
waiters, as at other English hotels, wore black dress 
coats and pants, and whii'-e cravats. 

I have now tried three of the English fish, fried soles, 
turbot and whiting.. The first is very fair ; the second 
tastes slightly like the cod ; and the last is the best. 
We have many fish quite as good. The white bait is 
not in season here, but I doubt if all England can pro- 
duce a fish equal to our North Eiver or Connecticut 
shad. 

At half past five vrc returned to Folkestone by rail-- 
way. 

Nov. 5ih. — In walking up and down last night in 
front of our hotel, I saw a light in the sky, which, at 
the time, struck me as curious. It might have been an 
angel's daughter looking out of a windov/ with a cam- 
phene lamp in lier hand ; but it was only the lighthouso 
on the cliff. But how important to the mariner ; for 
close to our door lies the wreck of a stranded vessel.. 
A strong wind comes down from the German Ocean, 
and the ever restless sea is sweeping upon the beach... 
We expect to cross the channel at noon. 

While settling my bill (which was reasonable for an 
English one) at eleven o'clock, his lordship sent down 
to the ofllce for a fresh egg. The clerk remarked that 
t.he eggs were fresh ; to which fact I could testify. 
"Xhe w'aiter said that hjs lordship denied it, and wished 
them to send out at once for a new laid egg, as he was . 
waiting breakfast.. A_ small boy was despatched' to 
chase a hen until she would consent to stand and, 
deliver., 

Nov-.^QiUb. — We got on board our little steamer,., 
\vithjits. open deck, at one o'clock p. ri.^ There were 
some forty passengers, several of whom had gouo 
b.elovv^ and were reclining, in the expectation of being 
sick. When the' sea is rough, there is a peculiar crosa 
Bwelkin the channel, which sometimes makes the oldest 
sailors ill. The steward brought up several wash-bowls 
upon dock, but, as the sea.was not at all rough, he had. 



fe u L a N fi . ^^■ 

little use for them. Two or three ladies, in a bad way, 
were assisted down the cabin stairs, but none others 
were troubled. Half way across we suw a small boat ; 
and supposing that it might contain the survivors 6f 
some wreck, oar Captain checked the steam-cr and tho 
crew seized their boat hooks. But the boat was empty 
and we passed on, doing the distance to Bolougne in 
two and a half hours— twenty-seven mile&. 

Quite a crov,^d had collected on the dock to see us 
come in, but they were formed into a lane by the sol- 
diers, or police, s"ome ih cocked hats, so that we coul-d 
pass through. A good many carriages stood about, 
but not a word was spaken. V/e were admitted 
■ 'tone by one to the passport office, where our passports 
were stamped and signed, and handed back to us free 
of charge. I had given my keys to the "commission- 
er" attached to the British Hotel, but told him thete 
was a Yankee lock upon my trunk which he could not 
t)pen. He said he could open all sorts of locks ; but 
■he failed to find the secret spring in mine. Leaving 
our luggage in the hands of the niihtary custom-house 
officers, vvc were passed singly into the street. My 
friend was let out at once, but I was detained. Three 
soldiers seized my travelling shawl, opened it, and felt 
its texture carefully, then giving it back into my hands. 
I was then taken into another room, and one of the war- 
I'iors thrust his hand into my overcoat pocket, taking 
out a box of matches. This had an incendiary look ; 
so he thrust his hand into my other pocket and exam- 
ined my handkerchief. He then felt tho pockets of 
my undercoat. I threw open both coats and he rub- 
bed me dow-n, back, breast and legs. I was then suf- 
■.fered to depart. A few fi^ncs would have been accept- 
ed, I suppose, and this search not made; but I enjoyed 
the joke. 

We were told at the hotel that they had a tahle 
dliotc at quarter to six. When tho hour arrived, there 
was the Captain, an English gentleman and lady, my 
X5ompanion and myself; a. small public table. The 



54 BOULOGNE; 

dinner, though in France, was English and good. Th$ 
English, you know, claim to have the best beef and 
mutton in the world. Their beef appears always to 
be good ; but I have eaten as good in America. Their 
mutton is of a more delicate flavor than ours, tender 
and digestible. 

In the evening we went to the Theatre to see "Era 
Diavolo," but there was another piece to be played 
i first; and as I could not understand the language, and 
was loaded down with dinner, I fell asleep in a front 
seat of the dress circle. (The Theatre is not a very 
large one, but contains four tiers of boxes.) My Com- 
panion wandered about the house, and when I awoke 
he told me that he had been much annoyed, as every- 
body had been looking at me as I sat nodding to the 
audience. "A soft answer turneth away wrath," and 
I gave him one. I told him that I had paid for my 
seat and had a right to sleep; that I did not care 
whether all Boulogae or the entire French nation were 
looking at me; and that he might go to Calais, to 
Paris or to — the Equator, whenever he pleased. 

This is Sunday and pur good humor has returned. 
Many of the shops are open, and peasant women are 
Walking through the streets by the side of little asses 
with baskets and tin jars upon them-. The women here 
are handsomer than the English, having more delicate 
features and less of the roast beef countenance. Saw 
oS" an Englishwoman's head and feet, and the body 
meets ni}' views. There are about thirty-five thousand 
inhabitants in Boulogne, a good proportion of which 
are English; for here they can live at a much less cost 
than in what Byron calls " dear England." The English 
have three churches here. JThe town itself is not unlike 
nn English one in appearance, many of the houses being 
plastered with^ stucco and painted a light yellow or 
cream color. The signs are all in French, and look 
Very curious to me. The side\valks of one or two of 
the fashionable streets — very narrow they are — are 
composed of black and white marble cut into diamonds, 



BO U L O G K E . 25 

■Bucli as you see in some of the halls of our New York 
•hotels. The oldest part of the town is on a hill. Hero 
we found several ancient gateways and portions of tha 
old wall; also one or two venerable churches. We 
walked out a mile or two on the McAdamized C;ilai3 
Toad, passing some old windmills — which give such 
effect to an English landscape — until we reached tho 
column erected by Louis Phillippe in commemoration of 
the "grau.de armee" assembled here by Napoleon in 
1804 for the purpose of invading England, The shaft 
is round, and Bony is on the top, with his right leg first, 
as usual. We did not ascend to the summit; as for 
my part, I have no taste for such tread mill business. 
Near the column was a small yellow tiled shop of 
•refreshments, which we entered, and got some bread 
and butter, sweet, and of the true home-made flavor. 
The Frenchman showed my companion the field whero 
the wheat was raised, and thj old windmill where it 
was ground. 

To-morrow morning, at half-past eight, we mean to 
take the diligence to Calais, twenty-four miles It is 
Hot on our route to Paris, but there is a railway run- 
ning from thence to Paris, as well as from Boulogne; 
and the place is full of historical interest. 

Nov. 1th. — We took places in the diligence., sending 
our luggage and six francs to secure the seats, to tho 
office, and waited for the vehicle to call for us at half- 
past eight a. m. An ICnglishman had the other sparo 
place, the coupe., or "first circle," holding but three. 
The coach is divided into two rooms, with a place 
for passengers upon top. We had the front room, 
surrounded by glass windows. Three horses abreast 
drew us, and we got on very well over the McAdam- 
ized road. A dense fog prevailed, and we could see but 
little of the country. The land is not divided by fen- 
ces, but has, of course, some landmarks. The custom is 
to tether the cattle so that they do not encroach on other 
fields. The country does not appear thickly populated; 
but we passed a chateau ot two, and as many villages^ 

3 



26 CALAIS. 

with their little low yellow houses with tiled roofs. — = 
Whenever the diligence stopped, a beggar was sure to 
come to the door. Between twelve and one we entered 
the walls of Calais, through one of the ponderous gate-' 
ways, and were shewn to the Hot.cl du Commerce. — ' 
Our luggage was sent after us by the clerk at the dili- 
gence office. The commissioner of the hotel took us 
about in a fog, but we could not see at a distance, and 
his English was quite defective. In fact, there are but 
few sights at Calais. The town is celebrated in the 
French and English wars. It is not unlike Boulogne 
in appearance, and that is not so very different from 
the older portions of English cities. Many of the 
streets are quite narrow. The people walk more in 
the middle of the streets than at Boulogne ; as in some 
quarters the sidewalks are narrow, and in others there 
are none at all. We went to the walls, but could get 
no prospect. The fortifications arc very strong. The 
light-house (the French have the best in the world) 
was handsome enough for a monument ; the floor of 
the lower room was paved with marble. A venerable 
cathedral attracted our attention. A fine looking man, 
with a uniform like that of an undress officer, came 
from across the street with the key, and did not refuse 
a small fee on our departure. There are no pews or 
benches in the cathedral, and the floor is paved with 
diamond-shaped black and white marble blocks. Can- 
dles were burning, and are always kept so. We went 
to the museum, which is a small concern, but contains 
one or two good paintings. The town hall, as we would 
call it, is a very old building. On the square by which 
it stands, we were shewn ti house which one of the 
starving inhabitants, during an English siege, gave for 
a cat. Another was exchanged for a hare, and another 
for two bottles of wine. 

We leave in the morning by railway for Paris. 

Nov. 8th — At the dinner table at Boulogne I amus- 
ed them by translating gei^armes into '•'■Johns arms^'* 
but my companion rather excelled mo at Calais. The 



CALAIS. 27 

French make the best bread in the world, but they b^dco! 
their loaves as large as a gate post. These loaves are 
cut up into masses of about two feet in length, and dis- 
tributed around the table. Each guest cuts bread for 
himself; and my friend from Islip, seizing one of these 
ponderous loaves, asked for ^ pcii-knifc. Couteau was 
the word for knife, but he made an addition to it, and 
even the polite Frenchmen could not restrain a laugh, 
though they soon turned it off with pleasantry. It was 
a picture for Punch; such a loaf of bread to be cut with 
a pen-knife. 

Wo took the cars at eight r. m. from Calais, and 
reached Paris at a quarter past five. There were no 
fences in the country through which we passed, but 
many rows of trees, which probably serve to divide the 
land. In the wet districts were drains of four or JivQ 
feet in width, bordered with rows of trees. In summer 
they must present a picturesque appearance. Some old 
ruins on the hills, and many windmills, ready for Don. 
Quixotte, diversified the scene, "We observed in one of 
the ploughed fields a man and woman drawing a harrow. 
The land is so well tilled, and soft, that horse power 
seems unnecessary. The houses of brick or stone, paint- 
ed white or yellow, were very small and low, and would 
not have suited us in America. "We passed through the 
outskirts of several towns, but every thing looked old 
and stationary. At one steep grade they w^ere obliged 
to sprinkle ashes and sand upon the track. At Douay, 
(I think) an old walled town, we got some sandwiches 
to stay our apetite; and such sandwiches! As large 
as a man's arm, round, and ten inches long. They were 
almost too much for us, though we succeeded in getting 
them down at last. Here we took a fresh engine, and 
the I'emainder of the journey was performed at a rate 
of speed that would have excited the attention of even 
one of our reckless American engineers. We rushed 
thrnngh the streets of villages, without any warning 
whistle, in a manner which made the cars actually leap 
on the track. The French have something like our 



8S VARrlS. 

cteck system, bjit it is very defective ; and it was mora, 
than an hpur after our arrival before we could reacb, 
the Hotel Windsor. 

Paris, Nov. lOtli — As my last letter, written on two. 
sheets of American foolscap, cost me in postage to New 
York, via Liverpool, 70 ceats, I will now try a little of 
t\he thin French paper. My communications will bo 
sent through Livingston, Wells & Co., No, 8 Place do 
la Bourse, who are a branch of the Express house of' 
"Wells, Fargo & Co.', New York, They act as g-enerai 
agents for Americans on the continent, and forward let- 
ters directed to their care to any pax^t of the worid. A 
banking department is also attached to the- concern. 
The house is a great convenience to Americans abroad. 

To give an extended description of what I have al- 
ready seen in Paris, would not only exceed my powers^ 
Ijut also my patience. I can allude to certain portions 
qf the "sights," and that is about all. I would recom- 
mend no person to come to Paris unless somewhat 
versed in the language; and to come only in summer, 
and then take your time. Sight seeing, as a business, is 
Ear.der than hoeing com. 

The Hotel Windsor, where Lam staying, is, I believe, 
like other French hotels. In the arched way under 
"U'hich you enter, is the office of the porteress, who takes 
charge of- the gate, which is shut at night. There aro 
also other oifices under the arch. You enter the court 
yard, which is square, and see a building all about you, 
eeven stories high. The hotels at Boulogne and Calais 
were not so high. From this court yard are stairways 
of stone, wood and marble, leadings to the chambers. 
There is also a door leading- to. the- coiFee room. We 
have no public table. Ladies can take their meals at 
the little tables in the coffee room, where the gentlemen , 
never smoke or wear their hats. CaH for what you 
please, at any htmr, and it will be served up in a- style 
of cookery unknown at any hotel in New York. Every 
thing tastes good; the difficulty is you do not know 
V^hat you are eating. " When weal is in, cats is out^" 



r A E. I s . 29 

said Sam "Wellcr. The reverse may take place in Paris. 
On cooker}^, hy which I am to hve or die, I say, gWa 
me the English or iVmcrican, simply because then I 
know where I am. If you call for coflce here, you will 
get it black with strciiglh. If you ask for brandy, it is 
brought Avithout water, and in a very small wine glass. 
The French drink brandy as a cordial; did they try the 
liquid fire which is called brandy in America, they would 
burn their mouths. 

Our hotel is in the Rv.c Rivoli, the houses of which 
extend over the sidewalks and rest on large arches, 
thus protecting the passengers in rainy weather. There ■ 
are other streets here built in a similar manner. We 
are directly'- opposite the gardens of the Tuilleries, which 
are not so large as I expected to find them. Here are 
heaps' of chairs, where the people sit in summer ; many 
avenues of trees, broad walks adorned with marble sta- 
tues, a pond of water, shrubs and flowers. The wholo 
is surrounded by a high iron railing. At each gate ia 
a soldier with his musket ou his shoulder, and wrapped 
in a long cloak. They are placed before all the public 
buildings here; you see them at every step in the street; 
\n ones, twos and threes ; and ever and anon you see 
companies of them marching to music from quarter to 
quarter. The Emperor lets the Parisians hear the druml 
They know its meaning. At one end of the garden ia 
a low stone fence, within which are the private gardens 
attached to the palace. They arc pretty, but not es* 
tensive. The palace — the town residence of Louis Na- 
poleon — has a dark and sombre appearance. There ia 
a high mass of builcling, with tall chimneys, then a low- 
er building connecting with another mass, with its roof 
like a dome ; then, more low structures until it reaches 
a tall edifice at the further extremity. Behind this 
front, run wings which enclose one or two large court 
yards, and which the Emperor is now joining to the 
Palace of the Louvre, directly behind the Tuilleries and 
fronting on another street. It is a good walk before 
Vi'eakfast to go around the two palaces. I have tried 

3* 



30 tARIS. 

it. The Murderer is now at his palace of St. Cloud, 
three miles from Paris, which is his summer residence. 
A light is seen before the palace at St. Cloud to-night, 
to tell the Parisians that their beloved is there. He 
rides in to the Tuilleries once or twice a week. I saw 
one or two carriages containing ladies, then a troop of 
horses, among whom the Emperor was supposed to be. 
Borne of the people took off their hats ; I touched mine 
to the Empress, 

Not far from the Hotel. Windsor is the Palais Eoyal,;. 
©nee the property of Louis Phillippe. It is now con-, 
uerted into shops or stores, as we .would call them. At 
night here is a brilliant display. You pass the sentinel 
ajid enter a hall of columns; you then come to a square 
surrounded by shops; then to a long and high arcade^ 
with a rounded glass roof, filled with shops; then you 
reach the grand square, and a large one it is, with water 
and flowers in the. centre, and completely surrounded, 
by illuminated shops. There must be between six 
hundred and one thousand of these shops in the Palaia 
Eoyal, and every one of them is as brilliantly lighted 
as any in Broadway, and filled with myriads of fancy 
goods in gold and silver, silk, ivory, &c. These shops- 
are not attended by lazy louts of young men, but by 
females dressed as only, French women can dress. Many 
qf them wear such coquettish looking caps upon their 
heads. Half the women you see in the streets have no- 
thing bat caps on their heads. As to these female 
clerks, I consider them, as " extra hazardous." If you 
go in to buy a pair of kid gloves, they insist on putting 
them on for you, pulling them slowly and by degrees, 
first this finger and then that, gently pressino- the glove 
down the palm of your hand until the fit is perfect. 
They have not tried it on me yet, and I dg not intend 
they shall. When I go into any of these shops with 
any person, I button my overcoat tightly about me, 
and keep near the door. 

There are numerous cafes or refreshment saloons in 
the Palais Eoyal. The grand square in summer, is tho 



resort of crowds. Children chase their hoops, and" all* 
is hilarity. The French live much out of doors, and, 
enjoy the passing hour. Vive la bagatelle ! 

" English Spoken," is printed on many shop windows ; 
but it is poor English. My "commissionaire," ox valet- 
de 'place^ whom I have hired at ninety-four cents a day 
to go about with me, speaks this English. He says, 
that at tlie Dead House on the Seine, there may be 
seen " Five, six, one, three, two body every morning; 
they ketch 'em out of the River." A company of young 
soldiers passed us. He said "them's what you call 
intantry— little fellers." He did'not know he was making 
a pun. ' Wiien we go to see the modern curiosities at 
any place, he says, "Now you want to go to, see the_j 
antics.?" by which he means the antiques. 

You can get a carnage in Paris, when your route is.. 
a long one, for forty cents an hour. 

The Bourse is the exchange, where the brokers and' 
merchants meet. It is n handsome building, surrounded 
by columns. A woman at. the door took my cnne, 
although there was no picture to poke. It was not 
the hour for the French 'bulls' and 'bear^.' I paid for 
the keeping of my cane. It is one eternal'flow of small 
silver from the day you set your foot upon the shores 
of Europe. I had been, told that Paris was a cheap, 
city to live in. The falsehood is too apparent. 

The Egyptian obelisk in the Place de la Concorde 
was brought from Egypt by Napoleon. It is smaller 
and not so tall as you iipagine, but covered with hier- 
oglyphifS. Two handsome fountains are near it. — • 
Abbott's Egyptian collection at New York is better 
Avorth seeing. 

In the I'lace Vendomc is a column composed entirely 
of cannon captured by Napoleon. It has a dark, bronzo 
look, and is covered with sculptures to the top. 

In the riace de la Bastilc stands a column in mera- 
- ory of those that fell m one of the struggles for what 
the French, only, call liberty. Here once stood._thQ. 
terrible prison, the Bastilc. 



32 PARIS. 

The Arch of Triumph stands in the Champs Ehjsees^ 
It is a grand and imposing arch; on its fronts are sculp- 
tured mementos of Napoleon. 

The Champs Ehjsees is a very A\dde avenue, filled 
with trees, handsome houses and cafes. Thousands of 
the citizens of Paris here ramble or drive of a summer 
afternoon. There are booths under the trees, where 
are various performances. Blind fiddlers, with poor 
littie dogs sitting near them with baskets tied to their 
necks, into which you can drop coppers; and so on, 

The Boidevards are also wide avenues, extending on 
the site of the old wall around a great part of the city. 
The modern wall is now some miles out of town. The 
sidewalks of the Boulevards are the widest I ever 
saw. The houses, five and six stories high. Before 
the doors of the cafes are little tables, where men and 
women eit and view the crowds who promenade here 
in pleasant weath.er. Every thing goes on pleasantly. 
Nobody gets drunk in France. Eowdies are never 
seen, except in tlie da^'s of revolutions. 

I visited the edifice where sit the Deputies. Their- 
room is prett}-, and lined with grey marble. It is not 
as Lirg-e as one of our Senate Chambers. The- other- 
brarrehj called the Senate, sit in the Luxembourg. 

]\Iost of the public buildings here are composed of a 
white stone brought from near Bordeaux. A large 
Crystal Palace of t[iis material is now being constructed. 
It will be built to last, and will eventually become a 
place of amusement. In Paris are about twenty-five 
theatres. I have been, for a half-hour o:? so, into two 
of tlieni, but could understand nothing. The great 
French actress, Rachel, plays occasionally, but it alwaj^s 
makes her sick. I should like to hear her. She was 
once a beggar girl in the streets. I went one afternoon 
into Franconi's Hippodrome. It is about as large, but 
not so showy as its namesake in New York. The 
performances were of the same order. 

"Went to the cemetery oi Pere la Chaise. In a street 
•v^hich leads to it were many tomb-stones, black crosses 




HTs-simE m).Msii - (giv.iPisiiimiiiv.iL 



xint jr SLIDES » 



Paris. 3? 

and artificial flower Avreaths exposed for sale. A fu- 
neral train passed us at the gate. It was that of a 
young girl. Some of her companions, with whito 
dresses, and long veils upon their heads, wera following 
the. body. A man came out from a lodge and acted as 
our guide. In one of the walks was a woman with no 
covering on her head, walking up and doAvn before the 
grave of her husband Here she would stay all night 
long and not go away until five o'clock the- next after- 
noon. Many of the tombs were himg with whito and 
yellow wreaths, with these words upon them — "To my 
Falhcr,'' "To. my Mother," "To my Sister," "To my 
Brother," &c. We saw the tomb of Abelard and' 
Heloise, overtopped by a handsome little temple of. 
dnrk stone. Also the tombs of La Place, Talma, Sfc 
Pierre (the author of Paul and Virgima)-, Marshal Ney, 
and others. Within an iron railiug is a mound offlow^ 
ers, and at its foot a bit of stone six inches squai-^j witb 
tliis word upon it — Ne^.- Moliere and La Fontaine lie- 
side by side in the same little enclosure. Cuvier (the 
great "natural bone setter") also reposes here in peace 
and quiet. But I cannot enumerate half the distin- 
guished men who lie buried in Perc la Chaise. The 
monuments are closer together than at Mount Auburn, 
near Bostom From one part of the cemetery you get 
a view of Paris. 

Visited tlie reno^vnedchurch of Notre Dame, the ex- 
terior view of which impressed me more- than did St. 
Paul's, at Lond(w. The architecture of the front and 
its two ln)wers, is gTOtesq-i>e and striking. Within, it is 
not unlike- other cathedrals. 

Went to ic Morgue, or the dead house, on the Seine. 
There ucre no bodies lying for recognition, but a great 
many dresses of those that had been drowned, hung, 
upon tlie Avails. The Seine is a small river, but it could 
tell horrifl tales of murder and suicide, if it could speak. 

The bridges over the Seine are of lighter and hand- 
Bomcr architecture than those over the Thames at Loo?^. 
don. 



34 r A It I s . 

"Went to the Hotel Cluny^ where we were admitted 
on showing our passports, and registering our names. 
Hero are many curiosities, for wlnich -^vide catalogue.'''' 

The Pantheon is a very beautiful edifice : as is also 
the Church of the Madeleine. 

"\Ve rode to the Palace of the Lzixemhoiirg, and as- 
cended its wide marble stairs. Here is the Chamber 
of the French Senate, a very pretty room. Many of 
the rooms of the palace had floors of inlaid wood; hard, 
handsome, polished, and slippery. In the galleries of 
paintings were male and female artists copying cele- 
brated pictures. There was a large collection of fine 
statuar3^ We entered the chapel of Catherine de Me- 
dicis, the marble floor of which was much worn. Also 
the bod chamber of A[ary de Medicis : the gilding on 
the walls of which had stood two hundred and twenty 
years. Here we saw the gilt chair in which the Empe- 
ror is to sit when he visits the Senate. Would that 
there were a needle worked into the cushion ! 

"Went to the Palace of the Louvre, behind Napoleon 
od's Tuilleries. Here were splendid marble stairways, 
and a gorgeous banquet hall, the sides gilded, and the 
top ornamented with paintings. Passed a wilderness 
of statuary, and got into a gallery of pictures which 
seemed to have no end. It is also very lofty. Here was 
a crowd of visiters, and perhaps a hundred artists, a 
majorit}'' females, and some quite pretty, copying pic- 
tures. This floor was also inlaid wood, and with nails 
in the heels of my boots, I thought I should tumble 
down. Through room after room of works of arts, and 
ancient and modern curiosities, I hurried, and w^as glad 
to find myself in the street. Those who are very fond 
of paintings and statues, should spend at least a Ayeek 
in the Louvre and the other places. 

Versailles, the most extensive palace in Prance, ex- 
cept Napoleon's ('the little corporal) residence at Fon- 
tainebleau, is about half an hour's journey by railway 
from Paris. The grounds behind the palace are of im- 
mense extent, with many woods, statues, and fountains, 



PARIS. 85 

Grleaming marble and green trees meet the eye at every 
distant view. In summer, ci^owds come liere on Sundays 
from Pari?, when the fountains all play at once. No 
wonder that the French love to be out of doors, with 
such places to visit. Within the palace were many 
rooms tilled with paintings and scidpture. I did not 
enter all the rooms. Horace Vernet's modern paintings 
of the battles in Algiers, attracted my attention. They 
are very large, and I think, capitally executed^ With- 
in the palace is a chapel w*here the kings could prayj 
and a theatre, where they could play. 

About twenty minutes' walk from the palace of 
Versailles is a little old palace called ^'■Trianon.'''' Na- 
poleon was the last occupant of it ; and much of his 
furniture remained. It was handsome ; but the Fifth 
Avenue snobs of New York would not think it gaudy 
enough. The bed was full of gilding, and looked Im- 
perial and cheerless. The room was too large, and the 
wash-stand too splendid. AVe saw several little beds 
with canopies, where had slept royal babies. The 
drawing rooms, ante-rooms, &c , Avere quite handsome. 
The dining hall was beautiful; ornamented with woodj 
marble, bronze statues, &c. The music saloon looked 
out upon the grounds, and down avenues of trees. The 
room where Napoleon used to " do his writing," much 
interested me. 

Nov. 13th. — -I have thus briefly touched on some 
things which I have seen, and am now only waiting for 
some American or Englishman on his way to Italy. I 
am a poor traveller, and am tired of sight seeing. I 
shall start for Marseilles alone, in a few days, if I find 
no one going. It is two and a half days' journe}''. I 
wish to reach Italy, where I intend to "settle down" for 
the winter. 

JVov. \5th. — Paris is a handsomer city than London. 
There are more wide streets into w^hich the light of the 
sun can shine; the buildings are more generally lofty, 
and the architecture of the public edifices seems to be 
of a superior order. In many of the streets, where bar- 



36 p A n I s . 

ricades used to be erected, the Emperor has caused th6 
pavements to be taken up, and the streets to be Mc 
Adamized; thus keeping the people at work, and re- 
moving the material out of which they make barricades 
in time of civil war. The trees in most of the aforesaid 
streets have been cut down during former revolutions. 
The sidewalks o-f the best streets are composed of as- 
phaltum-, which, as well as the stucco, stands better in 
this climate and that of England, than in ours. 

The women here are prettier than the English. — 
They have quite as full rounded forms, and a darker 
and handsomer eye. Were I fifteen years younger, I 
might not be able to put up with their fascinations. 
At present, they are as harmless as water upon a 
duck's back. 

Many priests are seen in the streets with theh' long 
gowns and peculiar broad-brimmed hats — old style. 
They look full-faced and sleek, and are not unacquainted 
with sweet-breads, the breasts of chickens and part- 
ridges, and fine wines. 

The soldiers are police, and the police are soldiers. 
Both are everywhere. 

The horses and carriages are about on a par with 
those of the English. Here is the same immense dray 
car drawn by two or three horses, tandem. The om- 
nibuses are the largest I have seen, and hold sixteen 
persons. The English omnibuses are smaller than ours 
and not so comfortable. The cabs here are very good 
and well arranged. 

As to the morals of this people, they are neither 
here nor the e. Certainly they are not here. On Sun- 
day evening the shops and theatres w^ere all open as 
usual. I walked in the Palais Eoyal for two hours. 
Saw some of the largest pears I ever beheld — as big as 
a small baby's head. They have ribbed apples, which 
are nearly as large as the Newtown pippin, though not 
BO good. The pears are fine, though not equal to the 
Vergaloo. They are not exposed for sale in baskets of 
heaps ; each one lies in his snug white paper nest with 
hie plump belly exposed. 



PARIS. 37 

In the poultry and meat shops every thing is neat 
snd clean. The former are not attended by fellows 
with red shirts and dirty white aprons, but by hand- 
somely dressed females. 

If you go into a French shop to make a purchase; 
you are Tecetved with great politeness. Your exit is 
also marked by many bows, smirks and smiles. Yet, 
Under all this monkey lies the tiger ^ which in days of ■ 
revolution tears the heart from its enemy alive. The ; 
Frenchman can purchase cheaper than the American ' 
and Englishman; the two last must expect to be cheat- 
ed. If you make a bargain for a carriage, there is 
always something else to pay. The American is the 
greatest favorite here; he pays without grumblings 
while the Englishman does not. 

The season for Paris is the spring or summer, when 
the trees and flowers, which are numerous, are in bloom, 
One must also understand something of the language, 
or two-thirds of his pleasure is destroyed. I can't get 
on at all without a valet de place. I asked for lemon 
eoda here at the table; the waiter brought me a stone 
bottle of plain soda, with a small pump in the cork, 
und a lemon. I got it at last. He called it ' lemonade 
:gass weiss.' I went after a warm bath, and was told 
to ask for "e/i Saws/io/" (not banjo.) I did. The man 
«aid he did not comprehendez vous. I told him to go 
■to the d — I, and walked away. The other night I lost 
my companion. I did not know the way to my hotel. 
I said to a cabman, ^^voitureP'' (carriage.) He replied 
'-'■oui^ out., {wee^ wee) Monsieur," just as if I were a pig. 
When I got in, another man came to the door and 
landed me a paper, as big as my thumb nail, and mad« 
a remark I said I could not parlez vous Frangais. 
When I reached the hotel I enquired leprix (the price), 
and was told un franc, and some sous. I took out the 
franc und some copper coin ; and the cabman was only 
-satisfied when he had got all I held in my hand. Of 
course I knew I was cheated. 

. . : 4 



88 PARIS." 

As to understanding the signs, it is impossibleT— « 
Biere for beer; and Tahao over the tobacco and segar 
shops. 

The gentleman from Islip, who will remain here after 
I am gone, and myself, went yesterday to get our 
passports "fixed" for Italy. First to the American 
Ambassador's, where we were dispatched in good time, 
and were not obliged to wait the motions of inflated 
elerks, as at London, where we were kept waiting 
until the entrance of Mr. Buchanan, who, on being told 
of our case, left the room and sent the absconding clerka 
back to their duty post haste. To go to the diflferent 
cities of Italy, we yesterday had to visit the represen- 
tatives of the Austrian, Sardinian, Tuscan, Roman, and 
Neapolitan governments, and also the French Prefec- 
ture of Police. In Europe they take down the name 
ftnd appearance of every poor single traveler, so that 
they may keep their eye upon him, and see that he 
does not kick up a revolution. 

Since my last despatch, I have seen the following : 

The Hotel de Ville (or City Hall) of Paris, which is a 
Mgh, capacious and handsome structure, rather eclips- 
ing the City Hall of New York, which looks very well. 

The Jarclin des Plantes (Garden of Plants), which in 
eu^umer is the resort of crowds. After entering, you 
ascend a hill by a winding path, bordered by shrubbery 
as high as your breast, and confined within light wicker 
fences, to a bronze temple, from which, on every side, 
you get good views of the city. The garden is exten- 
sive, and contains many rare shrubs, flowers and trees ; 
and also a collection of animals, birds, &c. My valet 
compares it to the " Zw////;/e " (Zoological) gardens of 
London. Many of the animals could not bear the chilly 
day and had gone withindoors. The rhinoceros, giraffe, 
&c., were out; -and the bears, down in their enclosures, 
were sitting on their hams, and catching in their moutha 
■ the nuts, &e., sent to them by the spectators. This ia 
not the season in which to visit the gardens. 

The- Hotel des InvaUdes is an institution for the old 



PARIS. 3(9| 

and worn out soldier who has served his country a cer- 
tain term of years. We saw the old fellows stumping 
about with their wooden legs, and without both arms : 
we were shown into the sleeping and eating rooms; saw 
the library, also the cannon ball which killed Turenne. 
The old warriors, like others of their class, are not 
averse to a little tobacco and grog. Napoleon is burie(J 
here; but his tomb, uncompleted, is not shewn. 

At last I have had a bath ! I got the valet de place, 
to go and give the proper twang to the eh banslio, when- 
they made me pay in advance forty-six cents, something 
for the waiter, something for the soap, (you never see 
soap here unless you call for it!^ until I was at last suf- 
ficiently swindled and allowed to depart. They spread 
a sheet over the bath and it sinks with the water and 
yourself. The one I had was none too clean. 

Nov. I6th — I leave Paris this morning for Chalons, 
on my way to Marseilles. I have Murray's Guide Book 
of " Travelers Talk,'' in English, German, French and 
Italian ; but whether I shall stick by the way or not, 
remains to be seen. 

Nov. [7th. — The country was enveloped in a fog 
yesterday, so that very little of it could be seen. I 
found a person in the car with me who could speak 
English, so I got on very well. We stopped at half 
past twelve, to lunch, and found a regular french tabic 
d'hote in waiting for us. Here, as usual, the waiters 
bring round the dishes to the guet-ts and let them help 
themselves. At least six or seven different dishes, nearly 
all strangers to me, were handed round, before tho 
fruits, nuts, &c. came on. The common wine, {vin oT' 
dmaire) of the country, was free to all. If you wish to 
taste something like it, I will give you a recipe for* its 
manufacture. One quart of watei", two gills of vinegar, 
and a teacup full of Maynard & Noyes' best black ink ; 
then you have iYiQvin ordinaire. The dinner was about 
fifty-six cents ; but the gargon (waiter) handed round 
his plate for the coppers. If you go into a cafe in France, 
the waiter always brings a part of your change in copper^ 
which he counts upon as his. 



4fe CHALOKS, 

■ At Chalons I stopped at the Hotel du Pare. Here aff^ 
elsewhere, I noticed the peculiar construction of French 
stoves. On one side of the room you see a white porce- . 
Iain (or something like it) bureau, or chest of drawers, as 
you take it to be, very glossy and pretty. This is the 
etove, but the fire is not visible. 

• About fi-ve in the morning Iwent to the boat whicb- 
wa^ to take us down the river Saonej to Ly&ns. At 
seven &' clock, two hours behind time, she departed. 
She was long and only about fifteen feet- across- in the 
widest part. There was an open deck; it was a raw, 
rainy day, and the two little cabins below, were crowd- 
ed'with passengers. I wanted my breakfast, but did 
not know how to call for it At last I said to the gar^ 
gon, with as much of the French accent as I could corn- 
man d-^G«/e. He brought the coffee, and luckily, with,, 
it plenty of bread and butter; the; latter v/ithout any 
salt in it, as usu^I, 

The Saone is a small river, and rather muddy. The 
scenery along its banks would have looked pretty, had 
not the weather spoiled it. We passed under several- 
handsome suspension bridges, without lowering the 
smoke-pipe, as they are obliged to do- on the Thames. 

I noticed two gentlemen whose faces were not covered 
by hair; and supposing that they could speak English^ 
I addressed theni. One of them I at onKJe attached my- 
self to. He is of Irish birth, but has resided for many 
years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he has rela- 
tives at the present time. He is an old bachelor, past 
fifty years of age ; has been on the Continent before; 
can read French, but only pronounces a little of it ; is 
going with me direct to Florence, and is the most cheer- 
ful and talkative individual, male or female, that I ever 
met. Per contra, he has not a very high opinion of 
French women in particular, and priests in general. 

As we approached Lyons, the River wound amongst 
handsome liills, until we reached that celebrated manu- 
faturing town, one of the chief cities of France, vdth twO' 
hundred and seventy-five thousand inhahitantSj indud- 



LYONS. 41 

ing the suburbs. Among all these people none are so 
well known to us as "Claude Melnotte" and the "Lady 
of Lyons," whom we have so often seen at the Theatre^ 
in New York. 

I called for the "porteur" of the Hotel Loo7ieyvair, 
(Hotel Zr' Univers) and as I had got the pronunciation 
quite correct,, a man- came forward, who at once prO' 
ceeded to perform a feat which would have astonished 
eome of our Irish porters. He took four heavy trunks 
and two carpet bags upon his shoulders at one time, and 
carried them across the deck up a flight of steps into 
the custom house. There was no examination, of course, 
as we had come from no foreign town, and the luggage 
was passed out to the hotel omnibus, and carried up to 
its roef by means of a ladder. 

We delivered our passports to the landlord until ho 
could make a memorandum of them for the police. 
We ate of we knew not what, went to bed after a 
ramble in the damp streets, and got up for the steamer 
which was to carry us down the Rhone. Lyons is at 
the confluence of the Ehone and Saone. 

The steamer was only about twelve feet wide in its 
broadest part ; with an open deck, but very long It 
was shaped like a weaver's shuttle; and would have 
served for Goliah of Gath, had he been a weaver. 
There were not so ra^ny passengers as to put us to 
great inconvenience, and we got on very well, although 
the day was dark and sour. I looked about for 

"The blue rushing of the arrowy Rhone," 

as sung by Byron, but could not see it. The watet 
was dirty and the river narrower than I had expected. 
The machinery of our shuttle was out of order, some 
of it banging against one of the beams. They stop- 
ped the boat once or twice, and the engineer came out 
with a hammer in one hand and a dish-cloth in tho 
other. He kneeled on the latter, and pounded with the 
former. If the "Isaac Newton" and " Hendrick Hud- 
son" were not too large for the small rivers of Europe, 

and could be placed upon one of them, the entire pop- 

4* 



ti MARSEILLES. 

Illation of the country would gather to the banks to 
gaze upon them. 

In the afternoon, the sun began to appear and light- 
ed up the scenery, which was very fine. High hills, 
starting back from the river, or crowding close to its, 
banks, with white dwellings half way. up their sides, 
were seen; and nothing was required but a few old 
ruins (some of which we thought we saw) to-bringthis 
river in competition with the Khine, 

The river became wider and more winding. Thre© 
men mounted on a frame, like a hay-scales, with a rope 
hitched to the handle of the rudder, steered the boat* 
First they pulled the rope this way, then that way, 
presenting tableaux that would have caused an Ameri- 
can steersman to-laugh the tears into his eyes. How-^ 
ever, we got along after a fashion. T took out my 
watch and shewing it to one of the hands, pointed to! 
the dial and said ^^ Avignoji.''^ He replied, cattery 
(quatre) by which ! inferred that we were to arrive at 
four o'clock. At five we reached Avignon. There 
was no system on the boat respecting the delivery of 
luggage and much confusion ensued. 

After seeing our luggage at the. Railway, office, get» 
ting receipts for it,, and paying our fare,, we went to 
the Hotel Ullurope^ where we took supper. At ten 
o'clock at night on the 18th we reached Marseilles, 
and took lodgings at the Hotel cles Empereurs. Here 
there was no soap in my room. I went out and bought 
a cake. I have been one myself for not keeping those 
I have paid for. 

Marseilles, Nov. i^th. — Here I am by the Mediter- 
ranean Sea, in the " middle of the earth." The 
steamer of to-day is full, and we shall be obliged to 
wait here until the 22d. A gentleman and lady from 
Baltimore, my Pittsbui'gh acquaintance and myself, 
took a boat and went off into the bay, crammed full of 
shipping, to look at the steamers. One was too small, 
but the other the Ville de Marseilles, was well looking 
and of good size. The gentleman from Baltimore went 



Marseilles!; 4^ 

op her side, to inspect the accommodations, while the-- 
rest of the party remained behind in the boat. Sud- 
denly there was a sound as of a human body falling tO; 
the deck; a Frenchman in a blue blouse rushed down^ 
the ladder to our boat, crying out : Mon Dieu ! • Mon' 
l)ieu ! ! and wringing his hands. We were much- 
alarmed for our absent companion, but before we could 
get up the ladder, he appeared above and told us that 
one of the sailors had fallen and was nearly killed. A, 
Physician was sent fop at once, and the poor f^low put 
under his cai*©.. 

Thegentlemarr and his wife do not:go in this steamer ; ^ 
but my bachelor friend and myself have taken passage-' 
for Leghorn, at eighty-five franca each- and ' found,'' 
($15 73.) The steamer leaves at four p. m., on the 22d 
instant, reaches Genoa at about noon next- day, lies 
there till the afternoon of the 24tb, and-hopes to arrives 
at Leghorn next morning. From thence there is a rail- 
way to Florence. At the office of- the steamer they 
asked ninety-seven and a half frames for our passage, 
but we "beat them down "-to eighty-fives 

Marseilles is a seaport, of ' great importance. There 
are about one-hundred and ninety thousand inhabitants. 
Many persons from the East^ wearing strange dresses, 
are seen in the streets. M«n are sitting in chairs on 
the sidewalks all over the town, and getting their boota 
blacked. The cafe's are numerous. One of them, the 
Cafe de i' U?tivers is very handsome. Almost equal 
to Taylor's Saloon in New York. The continual clatter 
of dominoes is heard upon the many marble tables. 
Some take their cofiee plain, others put a petite glass 
of brandy in it. 

The weather is like April. In the trees on the pub- 
lic walks, flocks of birds are singing. Eoses are 
blooming in enclosures in the open air. There are 
some pretty fountains, a ti'iumphal arch, &c., to be 
seen here. The town has a solid, substantial look. 

Nov. 20lh — This is sunday, and a fine day. The 
military are marching up and down, the streets witk. 



44 MARSEILLES. 

their music ; and crowds of people are out on this their 
holiday. Priests and soldiers ; soldiers and priests iii, 
plenty ; ready to wrestle with the Austrians or with 
the Devil, at the tap of the drum. The Theatres are 
to be open to-night ; and a grand opera is to be- giveu. 
Also a sort of funny literary auction, with many other 
^ijioisements. Vive la France ! 

\ sl3.all be glad to reach Florence, for my passport is 
getting expensive. The American Consul here, Mr. 
Hodge, has charged me ten francs for his vise,. This. 
is more than double the charge at any of the foreign 
offices. The Ambassadors at London and Paris make 
no charge. Mr. Hodge seems determined to make as 
much out of his office as possible 

Nov. 22c?. — If a traveller be not a little critical on 
the manners he meets with away from home, he for- 
goes one of his special privileges, to judge from the 
books and letters that have been written on America, 
First, then, I assert that the best mannered men you 
meet with abroad are Americans ; that is if gentle- 
manly conduct consists in doing or saying npthing 
offensive to those with whom you come in contact,, and 
yielding some of your conveniences to their comfort. 
I have met but two unmannerly cubs,, and both of 
them were British subjects. One was an Englishman, 
a sprig of nobility, (as we inferred from his passport,) 
whom the gentleman from Islip and myself encountered 
at one of the foreign offices in Paris. He insisted on 
putting himself before us, when he had come after us, 
and saw us waiting our turn; but as this was not 
entirely proper or agreeable, I left my seat and placed 
myself in advance of him, as I had a perfect right to 
do, receiving therefor a very aristocratic stare from a 
face covered with hair. But that was of no use, and 
my passport was done before his. My friend then 
requested to be allowed to take his turn, but the 
Englishman would not permit it. However, as good 
luck would have it, he had not procured the British 
Ambassador's signature in Paris, and was sent off tO: 



MARSEILLES. 45 

get it before he could have his wishes attended to. Ho 
departed with much grunibhng, which amused us 
greatly. On the steamer from Marseilles was an Irish- 
man, his face also covered with hair. He had much 
to say concerning his " grounds," his intention, to build 
a yacht, &c., and took especial pains to decry every, 
thing he saw, as well as everything American. For 
this he received more than one sharp retort, which, 
would have touched any one but a British snob. Hia, 
conduct and language became at last so offensive, even* 
before ladies, that my companion from Pittsburgh,. 
who is also nn Irishman and a. British: subject, had a 
quarrel with his countryman, whom he pronounced 
*' no gentleman," and the " gre^atest as^" he^ had ever, 
before met. 

As to Fr^inch politeness,, it does sot seem to me to-, 
come from the heart. Step on a Frenchman's toes — . 
meet him early on a cold chilly, mocmng in a steamboat 
or railroad car-rr-^nd he ia. sulky and cross. His polite^, 
ness is, iBerely a. part of his education, and means, 
nothing. Ask himtojend you a Napoleon ! He has- 
feft his, purse at home. At theatres, and other public 
resorts, you will seldom see a Frenchman give his seat, 
to a lady, no matter how long she has been standing ;^_ 
and where the house is full, be , will stand in the door- 
ways, wearing liis hat, to the inconvenience of those 
standing behind him ; and takes it off with a scowl, 
when politely requested. So much for. manners. 

The English and French Hotels are deficient in one 
important feature. They seldom have any public par- 
lors, or sitting rooms. The Italian hotels, I believe, 
fail also in this respect. The wish seems to be that 
you shall take and pay for, a parlor. They are also* 
more cold and cheerless than our hotels. Stone stair- 
eases and floors, even in your bedrooms — sometimes, 
with narrov, strips of carpet, but often without. The 
cookery is doubtless better than at our hotels, although 
I, prefer the English to the French. At a French table 
dhote you may be helped to ten kinds of meat and fail,, 
to recognize more than one or twQv, 



46 MEDITERRANEAN. 

As to the expense of travelling in Europe, a single 
man may do it, after some experience, for eight or ten 
dollars a day.* I speak from my own experience, as 
well as from that of several others. The expense in 
France is about the same as in England. If you get 
this thing cheaper, you \\\\\ have to pay more for that. 

Afternoon — We are ahout to leave Marseilles and 
its surrounding hills ; its houses, with their lower wind- 
ows protected by a framework of iron bars ; its long 
teams, first two little asses, and then two large horses, 
one behind the other, drawing enormous loads on great 
cars; its ever ringing church bells, which jangle all 
night and all day; its priests and its soldiers; its vehi- 
cles drawn by small ponies, who are strong enough to 
drag three persons (to one pony) swiftly along the 
pleasant drive, extending for miles, and shaded with 
trees. 

Nov. 23c^. — At five yesterday afternoon the Yille de 
Marseilles got under weigh and ploughed along by the 
side of white clifis, which follow the coast for miles. — 
The vessel is a very good one, and they feed us two 
meals a day,, according^ to the French custom,, each of 
which may be called a dinner. For example, at break- 
fast this morning, several meats were handed round, 
with vegetables, wine, and fruits of various kinds. The 
meal occupied from half-past nine to eleven. Dinner 
at six p. M., will be still more tremendous. Both the 
French and English eat more food than the Americans. 

"We are coursing along the mountainous coast of 
Italy. At the foot of the hills, close by the edge of the 
sea, small white towns are seen. Upon the distant 
mountains there is snow, and the wind is sharp and 
keen. Here and there a white house on the hill side,, 
as if ladies had passed that way and dropped their 
pocket handkerchiefs. The Mediterranean is quiet, 

* I could now do it for ten dollars a day in England, seven , 
dollai-s in France, and five dollars in Italy. When stationary ycHi 
aaay live for about one-half. 



GENOA. 47 

and no one is sick. We have but few passengers; 
three Americans, two French, four Irish, and one Eng- 
lish. Three are ladies. 

One o'clock P. M— " Genoa the Superb," " Genoa 
the Proud " is in sight. She hes by the sea-shore in 
the form of a crescent, with hills behind her, whose 
tops are fortified, and whose sides are sprinkled with 
country houses. At two o'clock we anchored in the 
hai'bor, where was considerable shipping. A boat came 
off from shore containing men and women, boys and 
girls, who plaj^ed and sang to us, with violin, guitar and 
voice, receiving in return our copper coin. The girls 
look up to us with their large, dark Italian eyes. They 
are dressed in a shabby genteel way, with lace around 
their wrists at the end of short sleeves, but their frocks 
are not as they should be. None of them have any cov- 
ering on their heads, but their hair is prettily done up. 

Our passports were taken from us at Marseilles, to 
be dehvered back to us at Leghorn; but the polico 
have been furnished with a list of the passengers, and 
on going before them and having our names checked 
off, we are allowed to enter the city. Priests and 
naonks, and soldiers ; they are all around us ; but the 
prettiest sight is the white veil worn in place of the 
bonnet by most of the women, and which is very grace-- 
fully disposed. The streets are narrow, and the houses 
high; you could, in some streets, jump from the roof 
of one across to the other. Nearly all the lower win- 
dows are covered with a frame of iron bars. 

We remain here till to-morrow, paying our own 
expenses. They will " find us" on board the steamer, 
but we must also pay for it. This is French style. — 
Some of the passengers have paid eighty-five francs, 
and some ninety, to Leghorn. This is also French 
, style. We go to the Hotel Fcder, which is said to be 
a good house. 

Nov. 24th. — The stone stairs of the hotel are much 
worn and but poorly Ughted. I slipped and fi.41 down 
one flight, headlong, exciting some sensation in the spec- 



48 G E i« O A . 

tators and throughout the hotel generally, under thS 
supposition that I was done for. Lights were brought 
and a crowd gathered; but T. Q. fortunately escaped 
with a lump upon the head. He will hereafter keep 
one hand upon the railing while descending stone stair* 
ways ; he will avoid all hotels whose entrances are not 
well lighted •, and trusts that thosa who may come to 
this part of the world will do the same. 

Some of the churches of Genoa are very beautiful, 
adorned with various colored marbles, sculptures and 
gildings, with here and there a fine painting. We saw 
'one church, which was 6xtremely sumptuous, and which 
had been erected at the cost of a single family. 

Saw the house of Cristopher Columbus, a very com- 
fortable and capacious residence. The front was not 
the original one, but a part of the rear was as of old. 
Near by, a statue to Columbus is -to be erected. It 
■will probably be s6en about the same time as the ona 
'to Washington in the Bowling G-reen, New York. 

Went to the King's Palace. The King of Sardinia 
is now at Turin. The palace was small but handsome. 
•Some fine paintings, &c., w6re to be seen. The throne 
Was not large. Under a canopy, upon an elevation 
hovered by "a carpet, was a gilded chair; the whole 
surrounded by a gilt railing. That was the throne. 
The floors of some of the rooms were of inlaid polished 
wood ; others were of a gray composition resembling 
marble. Went into Her Majesty's bedroom ; handsome, 
but did not look snug and comfortable. From one of 
the upper rooms we walked out upon a marble terrace, 
from which we had a fine view of the Mediterranean. 

Went to a Marquis' palace. Fine paintings and 
flculpture. Fees, of course, to the servants. Do they 
=get any other wages ? 

Entered the palace of the Balbi family. Quite a 
handsome residence. The family were there, but allow- 
ed the servants to show us about. We saw none of 
the princely people. There were carpets on the floors, 
which looked more comfortable than the cold stone. 



LEGHORN. 49 

The ceilings of the rooms were high, vaulted and covered 
by paintings and gildings. The collection of paintings 
was good. There was a portrait of Titian by himself, 
which was more like life than any portrait I ever saw 
before. The old fellow had a sharp nose, a thin cheek, 
a bright eye, and wore a little artist^ cap upon his head. 
More fees to the servants. Do they get any wages? 

There is a street in Grenoa called The Street of Pa- 
laces ; but it does not come up to one's idea. Many of 
the houses of the city have been handsome ; some have 
been painted in" //esco on the outside; but time begins 
to do his work upon them. Some are of marble ; but 
Btucco-is generally visible. Here it sticks, but with us 
I suppose it would soon peel off like any other plaster 
exposed to our cKmate, 

. We were to sail at sis p. m., 'but did not get off so 
60on. The boat full of musicians came on board to give 
ts-more music, and get more coppers. 

At half past three in the morning, we anchored at 
the " free port" 6t Leghorn. We were not allowed to 
land until half past eight, and were then rowed to the 
Custom House, where our luggage was examined, and 
orders on the Police given to us so that we might obtam 
our passports. Before we got on shore, a cripple was 
, wheeled up for our alms, and a little dwarf came up and 
began begging vociferously. 

We had to pay about eighty cents each on getting 
our passports. However, we fed well at the Hotel du 
Nord, the commissioner of which, though a native of 
this country, speaks good EngKsh. He was a sailor in 
•our fleet which was at Vera Cruz when Scott took it. 

At two p. M. we took the railway for Florence, where 
we were to arrive at five. We passed through the 
outskirts of Pisa, but could not see the leaning tower. 
The country resembles that of France, though the 
buildings look older. The railway and its fixtures were 
like the French. Telegraph wires ran by the side of 
the road. At half past six in the evening of the 25ch 
N'ovember, we reached Florence; behind time, of course. 

5 



50 FLORENCE. 

All Europe is behind time. "We had much difficulty 
both with passports and luggage ; but at last reached 
a very comfortable hotel, called the " Grand Hotel de 
New- York." 

Florence is the favorite city in Italy of the Americans 
and En'glish. If I can content myself here, I shall re- 
main some months, making an excursion to Rome, &c. 
If not, I shall first visit Rome, and then return to En- 
gland, where I will endeavour to be satisfied for the 
winter. If I fail in that, I shall go back to the United 
States "per first steamer," thoroughly, entirely, and 
conclusively satisfied and disgusted with all traveling \ 
and firmly resolved never again to take my feet away 
from the shores of my native land ; one town of which 
— with all its faults — -containing more honesty and sin- 
cerity than the whole continent of Europe. Right or 
wrong, there is my opinion. 

Florence, Nov. 26th. — Several of us who came up 
together from Leghorn, have compared notes, and all 
are disappointed in the external appearance of Florence. 

'■ 'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view." 

The town is old and yellow. The streets are narrow, 
and nearly all without sidewalks. The carriages, how- 
ever, keep to the middle, and do not drive over fast. 
Where there are sidewalks, they are only about two feet 
wide, and consequently almost useless. Florence is not 
as cheerful a city outwardly, as Leghorn ; but it is the 
residence of a great many Americans and Enghsh, be- 
cause it is cheaper and they can here husband their re- 
sources. At night Florence is badly lighted; and pe- 
destrians, who are not keen-sighted, had better keep 
to the house. 

The famous Arno, which runs through the town, is 
about as wide as the Seifie at Paris. It is not a deep 
river ; and, as much of its water is diverted to mills, its 
bottom is visible in various places. There is nothing 
renaarkable in the appearance of its bridges, except that 
some of them have shops upon them. Its banks are 
lined by a strong stone wall of mason work, about four, 
feet high, like that along the Seine. 



F L O B E N C E . 51 

The women in the streets wear bonnets. The lower 
orders sometimes wear the great Jlat, with an enormous 
rim, such as is seen in summer on the heads of little 
American girls, only much more extensive. The Italian 
women are not as handsome as the French Their 
forms are more thin and lathy. Priests with copious 
broadcloth cloaks and broad brimmed hats, cocked up 
at the sides, are numerous ; but soldiers are more so, 
for squads of them are continually passing through the 
streets. The police wear surtouts, with a white leather 
shoulder belt, in which hangs a sword. Upon their 
heads they wear a sort of cocked hat, shaded by hand- 
some black plumes. On going to the police office you 
can find the name and residence of every stranger in 
Florence, furnished by your passport and your landlord 
Strangers are looked after, here, very sharply; and my 
blue spectacles are well known in Florence already. At 
night the gates are shut at eight o'clock ; and if you 
happen to be outside the walls, you are obliged to pay 
money to get in. In fact, night or day, you have to pay 
to get into all continental cities. Your passport and your 
luggage combined, are nearly as expensive as a wife; 
the consuls and the police seize the first at every stppi- 
ping place ; four or five porters clutch the luggage ; and 
all expect to be paid. 

Beggars are not so numerous here as at Eome and 
Naples, as I am informed, but they are troublesome 
even here. They will hardly take no for an answer, 
but continue to importune you. 

Yellow is the prevailing color of the dwellings in 
Florence. The lower windows are protected by a 
frame work of iron bars, set about four inches apart. 
Many of the houses along the Arno are let for lodg- 
ings. These lodgings are now pretty full. A single 
man can live cheaper here than at many other 
European towns, but not so cheaply as I had been 
told ; that is, if he live comfortably. He can get hia 
meals at the Cafe Doney at a very fair price. The 
cafes here are few and not equal to the French, I am 



52 FLORENCE. 

staying at the " Grand Hotel de New York," kept by 
a man who cannot speak Enghsh. The " master of' 
the hotel," as he is called, is, like some of the keepers 
of the public houses m New York, perfectly competent 
in his own estimation. He is of a good figure, portly^ 
requires much space to revolve in, and of course wears 
hair under his nose. All the men here, except a very 
few Americans and English, look as if some giant had 
taken them by the legs and forced their heads into a 
coal-scuttle. 

The Hotel Neiu York, though destitute of soap in., 
its bed rooms, like European hatels in general, is a 
pretty good house... The halls and stone stairways are 
large and well hghted- at night. There are, of course, 
no sitting rooms or, public parlors. Two meals a day,, 
as in France, is the fashion. Breakfast at half hast 
nine or ten o'clock, or whenever you prefer, at twa 
and a hdM2muh (a paul is ten cents) ; chops, potatoes, 
eggs, tea, and bread and butter for twenty-five cents. 
There is a public table at four, and one at six,, for five 
j)auls — ^fifty cents. M.eats are all carved and slices 
handed ro\md by the waiters, but you don't know what 
they are. I have seen my old friend, Mutton Chop,, 
once or twice; and,-. as, I -believe, have tasted Eoast 
Beef, but cannot make my affidavit. There are some- 
fifteen or twenty courses, including fruits, and the din- 
ner consumes just one hour and a half For my room 
I pay four pauh a day. Transient board thus costs at 
this Hotel $8 a week. There may be fees to servants ^ 
if so, I shall unquestionably ascertain the fact. 

The weather here is chilly. An overcoat is, with 
me, indispensable. " Sunny Italy," andeedl But it«s- 
sunny in summer, as they tell me. 

Nov. 11th. — Sunday. Started off alone to look for 
the Due uo, or Cathedral, Its exterior excels, as I 
think, that of Notre Dame at Paris. It is neither 
sqtiare nor round in shape, but of irregular architect- 
ure, like all these quaint, old churches. The front is 
as plain as a barn, except that a few feet from one 



FLORENCE. 53 

corner, rises from the ground a square,' high tower, 
disconnected entirely with the church. Passing round 
this, you see the great dome, and the indented, stono 
pannelled, rounded rear and sides of the building. It 
really looks grand. The interior is plain, though the 
main body is of large arches, between which long 
narrow windows of elegantly stained glass, (not hke 
that of Grace Church, New- York,) let in a " dim, relig- 
ous hght." I walked along over the stone pavement, 
on which some people were kneeling, to the crovi^d 
under the great dome, where services were being per- 
formed before the altar. Although some chandeliers 
and many long candles were burning, the darkly 
painted ceihng of the great dome threw down a som- 
bre shadow upon the people. Here was the God of 
Fear^ not the God of Love. There was chanting and 
droning ; a procession of priests, dressed in long black 
gowns, over which was a laced " short-gown," about 
as long as those worn by some of our females, occa- 
sionally. Then a bell was rung, (sounding Hke the one 
I used to hear when the canal packet boat used to 
arrive at Syracuse,) and there were other performan- 
ces. Soldiers with weapons were present, to guard 
against disturbance. 

I left the Cathedral, and crossing one of the bridges 
of the Arno, sought and found the garden or grounds 
attached to a palace, the name of which I have not yet 
learned. The park was very extensive and handsome, 
though much art was visible. Broad walks up and 
down hill; trees forming an arcade, their branches 
meeting at the top; ponds of water adorned with 
marble statues of gods and goddesses, horses, sea-ani- 
mals, fighting gladiators, &c., surrounded by a circle 
of trees, whose branches were close together, and so 
trimmed, that the foliage presented an entirely flat 
surface. There were also terraces, from whence the 
city and the blue hills could be seen; an amphitheatre, 
in course of erection, in the centre of which stood a 
email Egyptian obelisk. In summer this must be a 

5* 



54 



FLORENCE 



delightful resort. It is quite as handsome, though not 
so extensive as the grounds of Versailles. 

Ee crossing the river, I walked through the city out 
at one of the gates, until I came to a country road, 
which was w^hite in color, like those of England and 
France, being McAdamized with a similar stone. The 
road was, of course, excellent. Some "fast crabs" 
passed me at a rapid trot. 

I found some fellows playing a game like our nine- 
pins, rolling large balls to make them lie nearest small- 
balls placed some yards distant. They would follow 
their balls, and with much animation, evidently be^. 
them in Italian to go to the right spot. This seemed 
to be one of the Sunday amusem_.ents of tha. comment 
people. 

In America we liear exaggerated accounts of the licen-r 
tiousness of the French and Italians. I speak of the 
visible sinfulness. What takes place within doors, I 
profess to know nothing of. All I do know, is this ; 
that in Paris and in the Italian cities I have seen, licen- 
tiousness does not meet the eye. No inducements are 
held out to you in the streets at night, to stray from the 
straight and narrow path. The presence of a watchful 
police has doubtless some influence. Yet, in London,, 
there is a good police, but you are often annoyed by 
abandoned females. London is worse that way than 
New York. I am told, also, by those that ought to 
know, that French and Italian women in general,.-are 
quite as virtuous as the women of England and Ame- 
rica. Their manners are more free and easy; hence 
their reputations suffer. 

Kov. 28th. — In France, English sovereigns are taken- 
freely at twenty-five francs, about $4 50 ,' but the best 
money to bring to'Italy is the French Napoleon, which 
passes for 35.} pauls, $3 55. As to getting acquainted- 
with the silver which is here given you in change, I find'- 
it impossible, even with the aid of one of John Thomp^- ■ 
son's coin charts, which I purchased at the corner of 
Broadway and Wall streets. The Italian coin is nearly ■ 



P L O R E N C E . BB. 

all worn smootli, so it is by- the size alone of the piece 
that I can estimate its value". There is a washed coin 
which one is apt to take for silver ; and many counter- 
feits on the more valuable pieces. 

I w^ent this morning to a bridge over the Arno, which 
is occupied by jewellers' shops. The display could not 
compare with the same number of shops in Paris. There 
is a bridge also occupied alone by butchers. 

As I passed along the streets, I toot a look at the 
vehicles, some of which are unique. There are a few 
ponies here like those at Marseilles ; stout little fellows, 
M'ho seem to carry one along as fast as could be done 
by a full grown horse ; there are little carts drawn by 
dogs; and many by small asses led by the halter. The 
boys also have a velocipede with wheels as large as those 
of an ordinary one horse waggon, with which they go' 
at a spanking pace. There are many handsome priv-' 
ate equipages here, belonging to the inhabitants and to 
the Americans and..English. A good. carriage can be 
hired for thirty cents ail homv 

After an how's walk' al6ng the Arno towards-the dis- 
tant hills, which seemed to walk away froin me, I retraced 
ray steps through tlio town. The merchant peddlera 
here push long carts before them through the streets, 
on which are displayed their wares; dry goods, crockery, 
&c. The chesnut roasters are seen at almost every cor- 
ner, (there are a few in New York,) where they sell hot 
Italian roasted chesnuts very cheap. This large chesnut 
forms one of the courses at the table dlwte; they are 
brought in hot upon a plate covered with u napkin. As 
they provoke thirst, and the common wine is free to all 
the guests, I would advise the landlords to omit them. 

Passed a church which looked like an old, mouldering 
prison, as many of the churches do here, on the outside.- 
Within they are well preserved. Went in, saw here 
and there a worshipper, alone and silent; with a priest 
occasionally appearing in the distant aisles, crossing him- 
self, or saying a prayer or two. The marble floor and, 
part of the walls, were covered with the coats of arms 
of those buried there. 



56 FLORENCE. 

After refreshing the inner man at the Cafe Doney 
with a little coffee and "bisqueet," I walked away to 
one of the gates of the city, passed the railway station, 
and went along the principal public drive, extending for 
two or three miles, and bordered by tall trees. A cold 
autumnal wind came down from the hills on my right, 
and the leaves fell thick and fast. On my left, were 
lawns, surrounded by trees. The distant bells of the 
city, and sweet sounding ones they are, were ringing 
their chimes; which I believe they do on some days every 
hour. I reached the end of the drive, and came upon 
the Arno, which is here quite as wide as the Erie Canal, 
and just as "raging." Along the river I returned towards 
the city. The sun was setting, and for the first time I 
watched an Italian sunset. I have seen the thing just aa 
well done by our sun in America, though I must confess 
that the twilight here continues longer than with us. Up 
and down across the beautiful twilight sky, a row of 
slender poplars, planted along the opposite bank of the 
river, was drawn with their taper tops pointing heaven- 
ward. As I walked on, I saw enclosures of shrubbery 
and trees on my left hand ; the trunks of many of the 
high trees enveloped in a thick green mantle of climbing 
plants. 

It was getting late in the day when I reached the gate, 
and carriages returning from their afternoon drives made 
me hug the wall, for there were no sidewalks. 

In a day or two I purpose to give you a notice of 
some of the galleries of sculpture and painting. My 
stay in Florence will not be long. If you hear of any 
invalids recommended to come here by their physicians, 
tell them to go to Naples. This city is too cold for 
them. 
• •• • » «*••• 

• • •'• * *•*• 

A letter from Florence^ dated about the 1st Dec, 
never reached the publisher. As the writer preserved 
Bto notes of his carelessly written journal, he is unable 



FLORENCE. 5f 

to give a particular statement of tlie contents of the 
missing letter. 

It spoke of the Grand Duke's Palace, where is a 
collection of Paintings, Statues and other works of art. 
A large blue vase, some eight or ten feet high, was 
thought beautiful. A mosaic table, on which appeared 
to lie a small map of Florence and part of a torn letter,. 
was observed. The letter and map he attempted ta 
take in his hand, the illusion was so perfej3t. There 
were many other fine things in this Palace. Som^Q^ 
persons consider the collection of paintings to be the 
best in the^ world. The floors of the rooms were of 
inlaid; polished wood ; quite smooth and slippery. The, 
exterior of the building is like a Penitentiary. This is 
the Pitti Palace. The gardens attached to it, are verj^ 
fine, and are spoken of elsewhere, . 

Near the square where stands the Post office, is a._ 
gloomy old Palace, once occupied by the Medici, I,, 
believe. From the vicinity of this, a gallery of Paint-. 
ings and Sculpture e^^tends round three sides of a square^. 
In this . collection is- preserved the celebrated ancient, 
piece of sculpture called the "Venus de Medici — from, 
having been discovered or purchased by the Medici 
family. It represents a naked female, pretty, and of a 
light, delicate form, who stands as a naked woman^ 
naturally would — in a modest and shrinking attitude. 
This and the Apollo Belvidere at Rome, are considered 
by artists as the two most perfect specimens. of sculpture 
in. the world. The Venus mmj be handsomer than. 
Powers' G-reek Slave; and it «i«?/.be handsomer than, 
anything in marble that I have yet seen; but I beg leave 
to express the opinion that I was considerably disap-, 
pointed. 

In the same room are the "Wrestlers;" and the 
"Slave Whetting a Knife;" both of ancient date and of 
great merit. In other rooms are paintings and a variety .- 
of marbles. Among the latter was a bust of Julius 
Caesar, with a small cramped head and face, not near sa 
good looking as Andrew Jackson. There were also.. 



SB F I S A . 

busts of some Roman Emperors and Generals; and of 
some celebrated Greeks; most of whom had animal 
necks and heads, betokening sensuality. 
, In the square before the Medici Palace, are several 
groups of statuary, some of which are of colossal size. 

At the Academy of Arts (as I think it is called) are 
some paintings of merit, and some very handsome mod- 
ern statuary. One or two of the marble female figures 
there, I like better than the Venus de Medici ; and had 
I been alone, I should have kissed them. Couldn't 
help it! 

I visited a Mosaic Manufactory and saw the slow, 
toilsome process of the work. Also many finished 
specimens of tables, &c., &c., on which appeared to lie 
musical instruments, boquets of flowers, &c. ; or on 
which were depicted vases, birds, butterflies and other 
objects, all most exquisitely wrought. These tables 
cost enormous prices, and are seldom seen out of pala- 
ces. I saWj likewise, a large collection of polished 
pieces of marble, &c., of many different colors and 
shades, ranged in order upon the shelves and ready to 
be used by the workmen. 

Small mosaic pins and other ornaments, are chiefly 
made at Rome; which is as famous for that branch of 
the work, as Naples is for the coral and lava ornaments. 



On my way from Florence to Leghorn, I thought it 
worth while to stop at Pisa to see the famous leaning 
toiver. As I entered one of the gates of the city, an 
ofiicer of the customs came up to the carriage which 
had brought me from the railway station, and made 
some remark about my baggage, to which he pointed. 
^'■No comprehendez,'''' said I — ^but to what language my 
words belonged, I could not tell. The oflScer smiled 
and allowed me to pass. 

Pisa is situated on the Arno, and was once a place of 
considerable importance, though now partially deserted 
and with grass growing in its streets. It has a yellow 



LEGHORN. ^» 

appearance, and is not unlike Leghorn and Florence. It 
swarms with beggars, who annoy you every moment 
you pause in your walk. I got a man to show me to the 
leaning tower, which he did; but judge of my surprise 
when I saw before me a tower about as high as a three- 
story house, and leaning slightly from the perpendicular 
in consequence of a defective foundation. I was at once 
thrown oflf of my centre of gravity, and indulged in a 
satirical laugh. The beggars crowded around me , and 
a man coming towards me with a large key in his hand, 
signified that he was anxious to shew me the interior of 
the cathedral which stood near. I declined in the most 
brief and sententious manner, and liberally cursed the 
whole crowd. Hurrying back to the coffee house I had 
eeen on my way, I endeavored to obtain some refresh- 
ment. The landlord could not understand me, but ho 
handed me his bill of fare, which Jcould not understand. 
An English gentleman present, politely offered his serv- 
ices as interpreter, and I procured my victuals. This 
business dispatched, walked through the town by the 
river, near the stone wall of which, groups of beggars 
were sitting. Saw the Grand Duke's carriage — an open 
one, with four horses and postilions, — standing before 
a plain, low house which he inhabits while here ; and 
met crowds of priests — as I took them to be by their 
dress — thirty-two of them in one squad, followed by a 
number of young men, students of divinity, perhaps. 

In a few hours afterward, I had quitted the desolate 
and melancholy city of Pisa, and was on my way by the 
train to Leghorn. 

Leghorn, Dec. bth — This is decidedly a pleasanter 
town than any I have yet seen in Italy. The streets 
are wider, and they have more open squares where the 
sunlight can get in. Along the shore of the sea, outside 
the walls, is a public walk, situated somewhat like the 
Battery at New York, though without such fine scenery 
or trees. To your right as you walk along the Medi- 
terranean, lies the port where the ships are at anchor^ 
and further on, stands a lighthouse. 



60 CIVITA VECCJIIA. 

I joined two other persons, British subjects, who AvefO 
going to Ecme, and together "we proceeded to the office 
of the French steamer, Languedoc, where we were ask- 
ed forty francs each for a twelve hours' voyage to Oivi- 
ta Vecchia. We offered twenty-five francs each, which 
the agent refused; but as there was a SiciUan steamer 
to sail, and we had started for its office, the French 
agent sent a boy after us and accepted our offer. One 
of our party spoke French, else we should have had to 
employ a commissioher. 

We left Leghorn at 5 p. m., the sea not being at all 
rough, and the moon giving us a pleasant light after we 
had parted with the sun. I hoped to see Bonaparte's 
Island of Elba, but we were not near enough. Corsica 
too, was still farther away. We had many passengers 
on board, some of whom had been so unfortunate as to 
take places to jMaples, where there is ten days' quaran- 
tine. Had they taken tickets for Civita Vecchia, they 
Would haye gOiie fouhd by the way of Rome, but now 
their passports would only allow them to land at 'Naples. 
We reached cui- port at six in the niorning, where we 
were kept until half-past nine before we were allowed 
to land. A policiaman came on board with the list of 
passengers, which he attempted to read aloud, but made 
queer work of it. The second name was Sniitlt, but he 
bawled out Mr. SJiimmy ! _ 

Dec. 6th. — We had a hard time of it with the differ- 
' ent sets of porters and rogues that insisted on aiding us 
with our luggage, step by step, to the custom house ; 
and at the latter place there was great trouble and de- 
lay* Our passports, too, had been given up at Leghorn . 
and were now at the police office at Civita Vecchia. "I 
here paid on mine^$l 40. Our consuls charge nearly 
_twice as much as the English. We had a good break- 
fast and got the diligence started at half-past twelve for 
Rome. There wore several dilige?ices, as the Sicilian 
'steamer had also arrived. The postilions looked like 
^brigands; in fact, they are often in league with them. 
Our road, which was McAdamized and in pretty 



ROME. 6r 

'gbod order, ran along the sea-coast for twenty or thirty 
miles. The air was mild and balmy; the weather has, 
in truth, been pleasant ever since I left Florence, At 
every change the postilions would come and beg of the 
passengers. When approaching Rome, the road left 
the sea, and became very hilly. The whole journey of 
fifty miles shewed us a barren country, thinly populated, 
and worn out. Desolation broods over the land; the 
people are rogues, beggars, and'^priests. 

At ten at night we reached the gates of Eome, where 
there was more delay with the -passports. The dili- 
gence set us down at its own office ; there was not a 
single" carriage to be got ; our luggage was placed upon 
hand-carts, and we followed on foot through the dirty, 
nasty, muddy streets of Modern Eome, until we reached 
•the Ilotel Minerve. 

Rome, Dec. 1th. — E.ome has rung in my ears since 
childhood, and nowlamiiait! It seems an illusion. 
But there are two Romes; one exalted in the air, with 
high yellow buildings and dirty streets, without side- 
Walks ; the other prostrate on the earth, still visible, 
iike a wounded warrior resting on his arm. 

My companions wished fii'st to see St. Peter's church. 
We took the commisioner of the hotel, who cannot speak 
English, but understands French, and walked away to 
the "yellow Tiber," so 'famous in history. It is a small 
etream, and its color is precisely like that of a puddle 
by the roadside whefe the ducks and geese have been 
paddUng. The bridge we crossed was mostly built by 
the Romans ; it led to the castle of St. Angelo, as it is 
now called ; a retind massive edifice, built for Adrian's 
tomb. It is now a fortress. Onward through the mud- 
dy streets we trudged until we saw St. Peter's. We 
entered a square, upon each side of which stands a col- 
onnade, in the shape of a crescent. In the centre of the 
fiquare was an Egyptian obelisk, without hieroglyphics, 
bnt with a cross upon its summit. Passing this, we as- 

6 



62 ROME. 

cendedthe steps in front of St. Peter's. The first view 
of the outside seems to extort this exclamation from all 
beholders — Is that St. Peter's!" I was terribly disap- 
pointed. The front is square and yellow, with statues 
ranged along the roof; and it seems much smaller than 
you had any idea of. You enter the yellow pile and 
iind a large room so broken up by arches and projec- 
tions, that you recognize nothing so very vast and grand, 
especially if you have seen other cathedrals. Yet every- 
thing is of colossal size, but so well proportioned, and in 
such harmony with the whole, that it does not seem so. 
You see, at a few paces distant, a lion, apparently of the 
Fize of life ; yet on going up to him, you observe that 
he is nearly three times the natural bulk of the beast. 
A little way off is one of those little, fat, squab angels, 
that you see in pictures ; as you approach you find him 
a large, portly youth, with his arms as big as your leg. 
All this is the effect of consummate art, possessed by 
that wonderful genius, Michael Angelo. There are 
many large pictures in St. Peter's, nearly all of them 
composed of mosaic work, costing with the other orna- 
ments, millions of dollars. There is also much fine 
sculpture. There is a canopy, supported by twisted 
bronze columns, the material of which was taken from 
one of the old Roman temples.* There are also some 
elegant columns of different colored marble. A bronze 
Ptatue, said to be that of Jove, and brought from the 
Capitoline hill, sits here ; and I saw several of the lower 
order of people prostrate themselves before it. His 
head was sawed off, and one representing St. Peter's 
placed upon him, and he now sits for that Saint. His 
right foot is worn half away by the kisses of his faithful 
admirers ; and when the leg shall be all gone, they will 
perhaps attack the other. Sensible Catholics, of course, 
smile at this ridiculous humbug; but if it makes the 
ignorant better, let them kiss away to their heart's coo- 

• The vPantheon. 



ROME. 63 

tent. Saint Peter's chair is said to be enclosed in a 
gilded chair over the altar, supported by two colossal 
figures. When you get under the dome and look up, 
you see that its extremity is at a great height. Per- 
mission to ascend there has first to be obtained before 
you can go up. I intend to apply for it by-and-by. The 
interior of Saint Peter's is kept in such neat order, that 
it looks new and clean. It is one of the wonders of the 
world ; but I only wonder that the world should wonder 
at it. Its exterior is less striking than that of St. Paul's 
Sit London;' and none but an English snob, or one of 
our " upper ten" would think of comparing it with the 
Duomo at Florence. 

" Why is it," asked I, "that people will return and' 
tell such falsehoods about what they have seen in Eu- 
Tope ?" 

" Because," replied one of the party, " they do not 
like to confess that they have come so far to be hum- 
bugged. You will be slow to confess it yourself." 

'■ No, I won't ! I will give them my impressions just 
as-they come to me. I don't care who differs with me." 

And so I ivill give them ; and so -I dorCt care. When ■ 
you come out of St. Peter's you observe on your left'a' 
high and extensive pile of buildings rising above the 
semi-circular colonnade. It is plain in appearance and 
is the Pope's palace — the Vatican. It is there where 
he keeps his 'bulls.' We ascended the marble flights of. 
steps, passing the guards, who are dressed as grotesque-- 
ly as clowns in a circus, and tried to enter the galleries 
of paintings and sculpture, but it was too late,' it being 
three o'clock. We looked down into the court-yard of 
the palace and saw several six horse carriages and some 
troops of horse come in. The Pope was going to 
church. The horsemen drew up in divisions: the 
French by themselves. French soldiers are seen in 
plenty here ; and are scattered all along the road from 
Civita Vecchia. The Pope got into his carriage; the 
cardinals into theirs; and as the vehicles passed under ua 
I caught a glimpse of " his Holiness" making some sort 



64 



ROME. 



of motion. I was told be was giving us bis blessing; 
I have felt very well ever since. 

The Pope's dominions are under the protection of ■ 
France, as Tuscany is.mider that of Austria, 

On returning to.our Hotel we passed the Pantheon 
which is in better condition than any other relic of an- 
tiquity. You have doubtless seen prints of it in Amer- 
ica, with its front of well proportioned columns and its 
rounded sides. It looks, like every thing else,, much 
better on paper than in real life ; for it is dingy and 
black with age. Having been erected "to all the Gods,."" 
it escaped destruction when other edifices were destroy- 
ed by the conquerors of Kome. It is now fitted up . 
within as a church. I have not yet entered it It i» , 
surrounded by. modern buildings. 

Saw the column of Antojiimis Pius looming up in 
the' air. It is a noble column,^ though not remarkable- 
foi' its height. At its. foot,, a fellow had a booth where 
he sold combs, pins^ &c. It is also surrounded by 
modern Rome. 

The ancient corso is now one of the finest streets of 
the modern town. It is narrow ; paved hke the rest of 
the town with small pieces of brick or stone about three 
inches square;, and has a sidewalk two and a half feet 
wide-. Add to this that it is dirty, and you have some 
idea of the "Eternal City" in the rainy weather, which 
now prevails. I have not been troubled by wet weather 
since I came to Europe until now^ 

There are a number of krge buildings in J^me, the 
entire material for which was taken from the Colisexiia^ 
The modern Goths and Vandals I 

When the weather becomes favorable, ,1 shall take 
the earliest opportunity, of visiting the Ruins. Some 
of them are at a distance from..the city. 

One of our party having a nephew in college here 
under the control of the priests, wished to see him, so- 
we waited at the door of the college .until, the, .uncle 
came out. He had been trying to persuade his nephew, 
who is from Ireland, to abandon his intentioa.of 



ROME. G5 

becoming a priest; but the young man said he must 
persevere in the course he had chosen, else he could 
not attain the end he had in view. The uncle said he 
supposed they had promised to make his nephew a 
cardinal. The young man is entitled to $70,000 on 
coming of age. The priests now take great interest 
in him. By and by, they wiU take both principal and 
interest. 

Dec. 8ih. — This is a fast or a feast day, I know riot 
which. Every thing is shut except the churches and 
the poor peoples' mouths. The weather is still moist; 
and dirty Rome eclipses New York. I have employed 
some of my time in removing from the Hotel de Minervc, 
where I had to ascend eight flights of stone stairs to 
my room, to the Hotel cVAmerique, where I go up only 
one. Near by is a reading room, where are American 
and English news.'apers. In England, at a hotel, you 
may see two or three newspapers; in France, one or 
two ; and in Italy none, or one. In America, where 
you are not obliged to stoop every moment to avoid 
having your hat knocked off by a musket hanging 
upon a soldier's shoulder, you may see newspapers by 
the dozen at every hotel. As is sometimes remarked 
by the editorial fraternity, " comment is unnecessary!" 

Dec. ^th. — Weather more promising. "Went to the 
Vatican. In the first hall was a large collection *of 
broken statues, capitals and fragments of columns; 
Bome perfect statues and vases, together with other 
relics of antiquity. In the other rooms which I entered 
were many statues and other sculptures, some in the 
form of animals, sarcophagi, &c. ; there was also a great 
number of busts of the great men of Greece and 
Rome; but whether good likenesses or no, the writer 
is unable tosa}''. The original Laocoon and the Aioollo 
Belvidere are in the Vatican. These two, with the 
Venus de Medici, at Florence, are the admiration of 
the critical world. A copy of the Laocoon is at Flor- 
ence. Aioollo stands with his left arm extended and 
drapery hanging from it ; his right arm hangs down 

6* 



66 ROME. 

away from his side. He is set firmly on one foot, the 
toes of the other merely touching the ground. The 
attitude is like that of one who has just discharged an 
arrow and is looking enrnestly to see what execution 
it has done. He is a light and graceful figure ; — but 
to come to the sum total, (although I show my igno- 
rance thereby,) I have seen other statues that, to rae> 
appeared more beautiful. Some of the sculptures in 
the Vatican are in dark marble. There is one, of a 
lion, Avhich looks like that " roaring " fellow, who is 
continually going about to " devour somebod}'." The 
collection of sculpture in the Vatican is, I believe, the 
most valuable one in the world. I forgot to mention, 
that many of the antique statues in this- and other gal- 
leries, having lost hands, feet or arras, the loss has 
been supplied by modern artists. There are specimens 
of old mosaic iioors in the Vatican, which are very 
curious. 

Three o'clock- having arrived, the galleries were 
closed and we went into St. Peter's. Companies of 
soldiers were being drilled in front of the church. I 
saw several common looking persons in the church, 
employed in kissing Jove's foot ; and one poor little 
boy, no-t being able to reach so high, lifted himself .up 
by the foot of the statue and kissed it fervently. He 
thought it was .St'. Peter. 

Left my companions and started for my hotel. Got 
lost, as a matter.x)f course ; came upon that long mud- 
puddle, the " yellaw Tiber. '^' ■ Strayed through the 
streets looking at the dwellings, with their lower wind- 
ows ban-ed like those of a prison, at the different 
dresses of the soldiers, priests and people The French 
soldiers are easily distinguishable by their dress ,• they 
are fond of red irowsers. Saw some priests in light 
blue gowns, some in bright scarlet, and s6me in white ; 
but the majority are dressed in black, with bands 
hanging from each shoulder, to the ground. Dirty 
monks, with hoods and cowls, are common. The dresa 
of the Italian people in general, whether city or country, 




0:iyJeniiirj;fe&ChaplTri,6;i.CheajGide,*GJraldou.bovh\ctGdlcric"W^ 



I 



K O M E- . GZ 

is not unlike ours ; but cloaks are more generally worn* 
I miss those romantic dresses which we see at our - 
theatres, and which are represented as belonging to : 
Italy at the present day. 

Passed two or three obelisks covered with hiero- . 
glyphics, and surmounted by the catholic cit)SS. The . 
Egyptian obelisks are more slender and not so tall as I 
had supposed. After you have seen one, the rest do 
not strike you as remarkable. It is so with "sights" 
in^general, in a great measure. 

The obelisk in the Piazza del Popolo having caught 
my eye at a distance, I made towards it, and when 
there, knew my w^ay home. Rome is a very diiEcult 
place to find one's way in. The streets are narrow 
and crooked, and appear to run in every direction, but 
the right one. 

The Hotel cC Amerique is frequented mostly by 
Americans and English. The landlord and one or two 
of the waiters can speak English. This is a luxury in 
Italy. Even the "commissioner" at the Hotel Miner ve 
could speak nothing but French and Itahan. My 
present hotel is very well kept; breakjEast. when you 
choose; and table d hole . oi half past five., Rome is as 
biidly off for soap.SiS Italy .and France in general. You 
must bring yjom* own.. B.ut. both France and Italy 
excel us in making bread. It is strange that in our 
country, where such excellent flour is produced, good 
bread is seldom found. We like soft bread, and hot 
bread. Both are the originators of half our constipa- 
tion and dyspepsia. Here the bread is baked all 
through. How it is done, I am unable to say. But 
it is sweet, palatable, -good and digestible. The butter 
here is without salt, and generally sweet. 

A Hotel onthe American plan in England, France 
or Italy, with sitting rooms, &c , would be successful. 
One hke the Prescott House, New York, where the 
floors of two rooms alone cost $14,000, would attract 
the attention of all Europe. They know nothing of 
the style and splendor of our hotels ; but, they .beat jis ; 
in cookery. 



68 ROME. 

After being several days in an Italian city, you are 
obliged to apply to the police for permission to reside 
in the place, and a carte of sojourn is given you for the 
required time. Here in Eome we are told that we are 
in quarantine for thirteen days, because we came from 
Civita Vecchia; so as I arrived on the 6th, I can't leave 
Eome till the 19th. They are afraid of cholera from 
France; so they admit. us into the heart of the city and 
put us in quarantine ! This is funny Oar passports 
here are to be left wdth the police until the day of our 
departure ; aud cartes of sojourn wall be given us, so 
that we may be alloivcd to remain in a quarantine 
which we cannot leave \ The probability is, that this 
quarantine is made at the request of the King of 
Naples; whom may Heaven preserve from the cAo/era, 
so that he may meet a more fitting punnishment for 
his cruelties — a rope. 

Dec. X^th. — Took a " commissioner" and a carriage 
and went ruin hunting. The guide charges one dollar 
per day ; the driver forty cents the first hour, and 
30 cents each successive hour. Nearly all the ruins 
seen to-day are surrounded by mode n Eome. Some 
of them were beyond the walls. 

Column of Antoninus Pius. — A statue of St. Paul is 
upon the summit. I think that the cannon column in 
Paris is modeled after this pillar. - 

Temple of Antoninus Pius. — A row of columns filled 
in between with modern mason work. , The columns 
support a great mass of stone which was part of the 
original roof , The building is now the Custom House. 

Trajan''s Column. — St. Peter stands upon the sum- 
mit. At, the foot of the pillar are a number of stumps 
of broken columns, being part of the ancient temple of 
Paulus Emihus. One of the stumps projected above 
the modern surface and so discovered the remains of 
the temple. Modern Eome is ten to fifteen feet higher 
than ancient Eome, which has been partly covered by 
decaying matter and rubbish. Near Trajan's Column 
is a tower, now forming a part of a monastery, on.. 



ROME. 69 

which Nero is said to have- played his fiddle while 
Rome was burnuig. 

Temple of J>lerva. — Three columos and-part of the 
Willi remain. Old and decaying. There were holes 
where the metal clamps had been taken out. 

Temple of Pallas.— Tvjo fine columns and some rub? • 
bish are left. 

Ro'inan Forum. — Surrounded by modern buildings. 
Arch of Septimus Severus, half of it below the surface 
of modern Rome. Covered with sculptures and mould- - 
ering. The arch itself is not large. Under it are the 
remains of the Roman pavement ; rough stones, a foot 
square,.- Temple of Vespasian^ or of Co7icord. Six or 
eight columns remain, and support a fragment of thj 
roof. Temple of Jupiter Tonatis. Two or three 
columns upright. The old Capitol. A plair^iWall^ 
twenty or thirty feet, upon which is erected a raoderp.^ 
building. If the Roman Capitol covered no more 
ground, it could not have been very imposing. On the 
Qther side. of. the. Capitol is an equestrian statue of 
Marciis Aurelius. On each side of a gate, at the top 
of a descent, stand statues of Castor and Pollux, with 
their horses ; all of them dark, spotted, and very 
ancient. A little to the left are the remains of the 
Tarpeian rock. Much of it has been cjit away to 
build with ; a mass of the rock now forms part of the. 
foundation of a modern house ; and that which is left, 
is but a few feet high. Down this rock, many con- 
demned were thrown, in old Roman times. Temple 
of Antonius and Faustina. The front of columns 
remains ; a church stands behind it. Temple of Her' 
cules. Part of the wall remains and composes a por- 
tion of a modern church. Temple of- Jupiter Stator. 
Three columns now stand. The Palatine Hill, with 
ruins upon it, is close at hand. The hill is not much 
of a hill 

Nearly all the above are near the site, of the, old Fo- 
rum: 

Temple of Romulus and Remus.— rlts remains now 
form part of a church. 



70 K O M E . 

Temple of Peace. — Three large, grand arches, arid 
part of the back wall remain. The roof is broken away 
and grass is growing high upon the wall and arches. 
The remains of this Temple are highly ornamented with 
Bculpture. It is an imposing ruin. 

Arch of Titus. — The top is of modern date. The 
ancient part is full of sculptures. The arch is not large. 
The road runs under it. 

Arch of Constantine. — This is very well preserved. 
It is also handsomely sculptured. Bonaparte's Archofi 
Triumph, at Paris, was modeled after this; but it is- 
larger and more grand than the Roman one. 

CcBsar^s Palace. To the right of the arch stand 
some old walls, being part of Csesar's Palace. I did 
not inspect them closely, for I was near the Coliseum. 

To the left are the remains of the walls of the Tem- 
ple of Venus and Romulus with a church behind them. . 

The Flavian Amphitheatre ov the Coliseu?7i. This,, 
the grandest relic of antiquity in Europe, was now be— 
fore me. You get a very good idea of the Coliseum 
from the prints of it common in America. For a par- 
ticular account of it, you must consult ancient history ; : 
I. only attempting, in a few words, to give you an idea 
of its present appearance from my own observation, as 
I read none of the guide books. The Coliseum is of 
stone and brick, several rows of arches, arch above arch, 
supporting the different galleries, where sat the specta- 
tors. Quite a number of these arches are of modef n ■. 
date, as is a high wall attached to the amphitheatre, for 
the edifice has been crumbling and falling, and needs 
these supports. There are the tops and capitals of. 
some large, broken columns, which supported some part, 
of the structure'. I believe the Coliseum never had a 
roof, but was open to the sky. The circular wall is 
higher on one side than the other, a part having fallen 
or been thrown down and carried away to the city for 
building material. There are many holes in the outside 
wall, where were the clamps to hold the stones together; 
the metal being taken away by the barbarians ; partly 



ROME. 71 

^for its value, and partly in the hope that the building 
■i^would be destroyed thereby. I walked among the 
arches, looked through their long vistas, and up at the 
grass and weeds growing high in the air upon their 
eummits; then into the grand circle of the arena, down 
upon which the blue sky and its fleecy clouds reflected 
a pleasant light upon the grass-covered earthen floor. 
The earth has formed over the old ground floor, which 
■is now ten feet or more below the surface. It was over 
this ancient earth that the " beasts of Eome" enjoyed 
;their "sports and pastimes." Here they looked down 
with delight upon the struggle beneath. The shouts 
of gla'diators, the screams of wild beasts, and the groans 
of martyred Christians, filled the "noble Roman" with 
delight. Why grieve over the fall of a nation who 
-gloated on human misery ; and whose greatness was 
^built up with the ruins of conquered nations, cemented 
with tears? The steps by which Rome ascended to 
'" glory," seem to those afar off hke a ladder reaching 
=to Heaven ; and they who pass upward, appear as an- 
gels. But Rome is fallen, thank Grod ! not by any spe- 
-ciial act of Heaven ; for she necessarily carried in her 
■^course the seeds of decay ; they have produced their 
rank grass, their thorns and brambles, and now I gaze 
upon them without a sigh. 

Near the Cohseum, on a small hill, stands a single 
■cypress tree, shaped like a poplar, — looking at the ruins. 

I saw the caves where prisoners were confined ; and 
the lanes under ground through which the wild beasts 
were introduced into the arena. 

Around the grand circle of the amphitheatre, are 
ranged boxes about the size of sentry boxes, in which 
are paintings on bible subjects, protected by wire gauze.' 
In the centre of the arena stands a cross, which the 
catholics kiss as they enter. There is preaching here 
every Friday. 

As a sample of the Flavian Amphitheatre, I have 
,1?rought away a small piece of loose brick ; in my pock. 



72 ROME. 

et, not in my hat. The ancient bricks were thinner and 
longer than ours. 

Nero's Palace^ called the "Grolden House of Nero," 
is near. Many valuable sculptures were found here. 
Several broken arches of brick, topped with grass, now 
remain. They have a dark and dungeon-like appear- 
ance. The ^^custode'\ lit a torch upon the end of a pole 
to show the guide and myself the paintings upon the 
arches. 

Less ancient was the church of Ht. John Lateran^ 
where the commissioner now took me. It was erected 
by Constantine, and is a fine old church. Some of the 
columns are of bronze and were taken from the Temple 
of Jupiter. A bronze door came from the Baths of Ca- 
racalla. The old mosaic pavement is cm'ious. "Do 
you see," said my guide, " all that gold on the roof? 
Ah, so many poor starve !" The contrast between gold 
and marble churches, and the herds cif pallid beggars, 
-is indeed awful. 

The Lateran Palace is attached to the church of St 
iFohn. 

" How many churches are there in E.ome," enquired 
I. " Most five hundred ;" said the guide. " More aa 
christians. Too many. Not support the poor." 

We had met during the day whole droves of priests, 
\vhich made the commissioner alwaj^-s shrug his should- 
ers and vent &n ejaculation. There are many here of 
his mind, but they dare say but little. 

We saw many obelisks in our round ; nearly all of 
them with the cross upon their summits. 

Near the Lateran church was a building in which 
was a stone stairway said to be the one up which our 
Saviour ascended before Pilate. It had been much 
w^rn by the Jcnees of the believers, and was now cover- 
ed with wood. Up this stair, upon their knees, two or 
three women and a little girl were slowly ascending, 
under the eye of an old priest who sat near. There ia 
here a stone gateway said to have been one of the doora 
of Pilate's house. 



ROME. 73 

Temple of Venus, and Cvjnd. Very romantic names ; 
but til old and broken walls make a shabby rain. A 
churcli is built behind thein. 

8a\v -jAx old Roiiiari well. Square in form. Part of 
the walls of AiK-ient Rome now remain. They were of 
brick. If'a bitteiing ram was too much for tliem, how 
long- would they have stood before modern artillery? 
Tiie gate uJi Appius Claudius was slsewn me. 

Ttie Ronbua Aqueduct. A number of higli arches 
^ro still -tf> be seen, of this, the principal aqueduct. 

Ar.'maantofa Ttov.ph ti ilf/^zc^Ta is visible. Saw 
the se[)idchro of a Roman baker, ten feet sqnari'. It 
d^splavi.'d some workmanship. His bread may havo 
be.-'n '• s'nort weight." 

Part of ihe interior of the church of San Lorenzo is 
suppoi-ted by the colnmns of the Temple of Juno, wdiich 
stood here. The cf.lumns arc bcanliful and in good 
preservation. The capitals arc elegantly carved. Ha.li 
the length of the ^columns is below the iloorof the church, 
sta;idaig 0:1 tiie surf lec of the ancient earth. 

In the churcli of St. Mary Maggiore arc many col- 
•iimns, round and clean, which were brought from 
Adi ian's Villa, and incorporated into this building. Tho 
manger in which Jesus Christ was born is said to b^ 
preserved under tho pavement of this church Tho 
chnrch stands on the Esquilhie Hill ; not a very high 
hill either, though celebrated. 

D'ccLtia:i's Baths. Some of the brick walls are to 
be seen. A church has been built out of part of tho 
material. 

On the Quirinal Hill is a modern garden where aro 
to b;.' seen several enormous sculptured blocks of da.il: 
stone, once forming part of the Temph of the t^nj!, 
which stood here. The machinery by which thcs'j 
masses were hoisted, must have been powerful. 

Extensive remains of the Baths of Constantino a:o 
also in this garden. 

The above ruins arc scattered through modern Eonio 
and its environs. 

7 



tt ROME. 

Dec. 1 Uh. — Last night a procession of priests dressed 
in white and bearing torches, passed through the streets 
singing a melancholy strtiin. A man folloAved bearing 
a coffin upon his sbouldei". 

Tliis hi Sunday. Went up to St. Peter's. A priest 
was offifiating, and twenty or thirty people, mostly 
women, were kneeling on the cold marble tioor. 

As I cameout, I noticed the defect in the architecture 
of St. Peter's which I have heard spoken of. The iront 
of the building is too high ; you must be ten rods away 
before 5'ou can see the dome. 

AValked down the Coriso to Trajan's column Turned 
to the left and arrived at a church. Went in and saW 
Bevera! priests in the confessional boxes wiih long wands 
by them. A poor w^oman and child came a.long; as 
she kneeled down before one of the priests, he touched 
her with his wand. The telegraphic blessing made her 
happy, and she went on her way rejoicing. Why try 
to convince her that she is the victim of delusion ? Let 
her be happy. 

Heard some ehanting, and looking through a glass 
door into one of the chapels, saw eight or ten priests 
in robes, chanting with the help of an organ. JBlack 
gowns with white lace, short-gowns over them. One 
or two came out and passed close to me. Looked in 
their sleek faces ; not like those of the beggars outside! 
Two or three friars were v\-alking about the church, 
looking at the pictures. 

Returned to the Piazza del Popolo, {Place or s^rfiare 
cf Llie pzople^ and ascended by a winding road adorned 
by statuary and cypress trees, to the jileasant ])rom- 
enade and drive on Mount Pincie. Here are trees, 
ehrubs and flowers; an obelisk, and marble busts of 
celebrated men. Poses are now blooming here in beds 
in the open air. This is the most pleasant report in 
Rome, and is very fashionable. A fine view of city and 
country is obtained from this hill ; and of the Piazza 
del Popolo with its obelisk. Many priests are seen 
"Walking lazily about here every day. The dome of St. 



ROME. 75 

Peter's looms up before them as they lean upon the par- 
apet wall; and don't each one of them wish he was 
Pope! 

Dec. [2th. — One of thepolice, a^e«f*arw€, was found 
lying dead this morning by ttie column of Antonifius 
Pius. A stiletto had been put into him. Two or 
three months ago he killed a boy, in the performance 
of his duty, as lie said. Italiin revenge is often slow, 
but always sure. The eye of death has been on his 
trail; last night it found all things convenient, and the 
kinsman of the slaughtered boy got what the law denies 
\\\m.-^ustice. The policeman was an oppressor of the 
poor, and a man of bad character. 

The use of the knife in Italy still continues. Rob-- 
beries are frequent. Single gentlemen walking out to 
the ruinSj have been eased of their purses. 

I took at ten o'clock this morning the Commissioner 
and a carriage and went after the ruins. 

Interior of the PantJicon. It is of circular form, and 
once had a bronze roof, which was taken away to make 
the twisted columns in St. Peter's. The old pavement, 
or floor of the temple, and the ancient columns, remain. 
Around the walls are niches, where once stood statues 
of " all the Gods." The old Roman doors of bronze 
are still used in the ancient Pantheon, now a modern 
church. This building, t\to thousand years old perhaps, 
is the best preserved specimen of ancient architectur® 
in the city. 

Drove to the Arch of Janus with its four fronts — 
four arches in one. In tolerable preservation, with its 
has reliefs and sculptures. Here bulls were kept for 
sacrifice. A small arch near by, marks the place where 
the bulls were ofFered up. The arch itself is covered 
with sculptures, shew-ing the way in which it was done. 

Looked at a Poman sewer, two thousand four hund- 
red years of age. In good condition. A spring of 
crystal water which existed in ancient times, still pours 
into it. 

Ccssar^s Palace on the Palatine Hill. The remain- 



5^6 ROME. 

jng walls, fragments of roof, &c., sliew that this palace 
must have been extensive. It was built of brick ; and 
commands a fine view. Down to the left stands the 
Coliseum; and far distant the Sabine Mountains are 
seen, dim and blue. The mountains of Tivoli and of 
Tusculum are in front, fifteen or twenty miles distant. 
To the right, near at hand, is the spot covered perhaps 
by ten feet of modern earth, where the rape of the 
Sabine women took place. The spot has been since; 
used for a Jev,^ish burying ground. 

The Temple of Apollo stands near Ca3sar's Palace ;. 
that is, all that remains of it ; broken walls and roof. 
It was struck with' lightning last year and part of it 
thrown down. It was built of brick, with a coarse 
mosaic work upon the roof. 

Several artists were taking sketches upon tho hill. 
An Englishman by the name of Mills, has purchased a 
part of the Palatine Hill and erected a dwelling upon it,-. 

The Avcntine Hill is not far off. Upon it i.ro three- 
modern churches. 

Baths of Caro.calla. These must have covered Cr- 
large extent of ground. H^gh grass grown walls, and 
lofty arches still remain. There was a large swimming 
batti in this establishment, and a room in which gladi- 
ators v;ere trained, A circus and amphitheatre were 
attached to the baths. The buildings were of brick. 
Some mosaic work, adorniog'^ the roof and floors, is still 
to be seen. The roof was partly composed of lava, 
Borne statues in bad order and other fragments, have 
been found in the ruins. 

A P^oman Sc^iZi/cVi?,.,, discovered in a modern garden 
on a hill. Semicircular holes ranged in-order along 
the face of v;alls, in Vvhich the urns containing the ashes 
of the d^;iad \^cie placed, Many in^^^jrir- ions, taL'ols,.. 
bas reliefs, &o., were found ii^re and have been set into 
a modern vrail for the inspection of the curious. I 
bought a Eoman sepulchral lamp here, made of clay,., 
for forty cents. This, with some other trifles, will, 
suffice for specimens of ancient Rome. 



ROME. 77 

The Appian Way is now a road of the modern widlh^- 
and at this time wet and muddy, although paved with 
email stones. At a distance from Rome, the ancient 
pavement still remains. I saw a specimen ; flat stones 
of all sizes and not laid very close together. On each 
side of the Appian Way are low walls, fencing in some 
private gardens. 

Turned into a by-road and reached the Temple of 
Bacclms, a small square building with the columns 
imbedded in the modern wall. The room within is 
vaulted and not large. It is used as a church, and the 
cathdic cross is visible. Some old vases found here 
are placed along the wall. 

Descending from the Temple to a vale from which 
Eose a hill where was a handsome grove of small trees, 
I was told that that was the " Sacred Wood." But 
although it may have stood here, the Eomans never saw 
these trees. Certainly not. 

Turning to the left, I went down into the valley of 
the Nynipli Egeijxi* As we approached her grotto, 
— a natural arch or cave in the siile of a hill, at the 
back of which the fountain poured its waters into a 
basin, I saw a wild looking bull near by raise his head 
and look at us very suspiciously. The guide seemed 
uneasy and s^d that these bulls were dangerous if 
appi'ouched too closely. To make the matter more 
mteresting, a young bull lying in a niche by the fount- 
ain of Egeira,' began- to bellow, at whiih the guide 
remarked that it would be apt to bring the old fellow 
upon us. I looked about for a tree, in case of neces- 
sity, but all were too far off; and right against us was 
a long high w;ill which we could not scale. I will see 
the grotto, saidT, at any risk; so I ran hastily down 
into it, and did not remain long. Coming out, the 
guide an:l myself left the romantic valley at a quick 
step. A Papal bull would not have moved me an inch. 

Ivcsuming our carriage, we passed the ruins of a 

*• Or Egeriai . 



tS ■ K O M K . 

iem\:>le to Ro)/i:-!lus] and one to Remus. Dilapidated 
fragments of walls alone ai'e left. 

The Sepulchre of Cecilia Metella, is a small round 
building with battlemented walls. It is in pretty good 
preservation, and is an interesting obj.ect in the landtr 
scape. It is of stone and brick. 

The Pyramid of Cdius Cestitcs^ standing near one- 
of the old gates of Rome, is of marble, now dark and 
discolored. A part of it has been restored. It is a 
small affair, though a pyramid; forty or fifty feet high,, 
perhaps. At its foot was a drove of buiialoes,. who ar&- 
used in this country, like oxen. They are not shaped 
exactly like the American buffalo ; but the guide said 
that they were SG.metimes dangerous. 

We passed under the Eoman gate and entered a 
ehurch, built on the site of the Temple of Frospcriite^. 
some of the columns of which still stand within it. The- 
pavement is of old Roman mosaic. 

Ti-m'pte of Vesta. — A small circular building, sur- 
rounded by twenty ancient columns, in pretty good- 
condition. It is now a modern church. 

Near it is the TetvpJa of Fortune., a square and not 
large edifice with half columns, it is also a church. 

Saw a part of the pavement of the Palatine bridge- 
Like that of the old Appian Way. 

The Theatre of Ma>-cellus is round, l::rgo and liigh. 
Its old Roman facie is intcres.ing. Under it are shops 
of various kinds. Within, it has been fitted up as the- 
residence of some Prince or other. 

Near this is the Gate (f Oitavia, v/hose brick walls- 
now remain. 

Wo now entered the Jeus'' Quarter ^ where the Ro- 
man toga and the s:TndaJ or the buskin were not exposed 
for sale, but modern "old clo" in great variety. Some; 
Jewish women were sitting in the street before their 
shop doors, engaged in sewing. We did not stop to 
trade v.dth them, but rodo hoiiio. 

Thus, with a guide a-ul carriage, I have in two d-^ya 
seen the principal relics of ancient Rome, in the form. 



K O M H . 



f^ 



of ruins out of doors. They are more scanty, and not 
so well preserved as I had imagined. Many of the 
temples were small, and would not suffice for the pres- 
ent city of 170,000 inhabitants; much less, as one 
would suppose, for old Rome with its millions of people. 

There are other ruins at Tivoll, eighteen miles off, 
but it is best to go with a party to that place. It is 
the work of a whole day. I shall probably be able to 
give you a short notice of them in a.fev^ elays. 

Bee. loth. — Walked down to the Temple of Peace. 
Some compajiies cf French soldiers were being drilled 
by their sergeants in front of the grand arches of the 
Temple. The contrast of Peace and War was forcible. 

Turned up into the Forum.. Euins few and skeleton-, 
like ; not at all like the pictures of the Forum which I 
have seen in America. The " Forum Restored " is a 
very interesting print ; but to see the Forum looking 
thus, we must go back to ancient times. To restore 
the Forum- now, you would have to re-mould ten feet 
of earth into architectural forms ; besides i^ulling down- 
many modern buildings, parts of which are composed 
of the stones and broken siiafts of temples. Read the 
history of Rome; let your imagination miake a CapitoL 
and a Forum for you ; then come here and gaze as I 
do, on the meagre reality. 

Went into a gallery of statuary, near the CapitoJ.. 
The statue of the "Venus of the Capitol" is here. It 
was found among the ruins of the old capitoL* She is 
naked of course, like all good statues, and her attitude, 
is like that of the Venus de Medici and Power's Greek 
Slave. I say that she is better looking than the Venus 
tie Medici. She is plumper and looks more domestic 
and comfortable. There is much old sculpture in this 
gallery, found amongst the ruins of Rome; some of it 
of great merit and in fair condition; anH part of it bro-. 
ken and mouldering. The "Dying Gladiator" is here ; 



* I was told aft. r, yard- that '.li's statue v.'as fouud in Adr.aa'a. 
Villa. 



80 K. O M E .. 

the one which gave Byron the hint for some fine poetry.^ 
The Gladiator has fallen to the ground and rests on 
his right hand. His left lies upon his thigh. His sword 
has fallen from his gripe and lies, beneath his naked 
body. The blood is j:^lowly trickling from. a stab in the 
Bide, m^ide by one of the broad Roman swords. His 
iT^outh and brow shew intense but s.lent suffering. Yefe 

'' 'lis heart is far away ; 

By the Pa!iiibc. where liis .young barbarians arc at p!ay ; 

And she their n.ician ninilicr— 

Ho, their sire, butchor'd to iiial^e a Roman hoiday." 

There is a twisted chain or rope round the gladiator's- 
neck, which shews that he is a slave. Hi.s forehead ia 
low and marks his mean extraction. Yet your pity ia 
none the less keen. 

'■ The arena swims around him ! ho is jjone ! 

Nor huaril the inlumwn aliout that hailM the wretch who won." 

Dec. liih, — The porter of an Italian or French hote^ 
is not the man who shoulders the baggage and •'carriea 
Aveight;" not at all. He or she has a little otfjce near 
the archway where is the gate under their chtirge. 
They have also supervision uvc-r the candles, (which I 
pay twenty cents each for,) the keys of the rooms, «fcc. 
The little porter at my hotel fhinJi:; he can speak English; 
but he cannot learn even the name of the guests. Ho 
is continually handing me cards and hillds with which 
I have nothing to do. It was just as bad at Florence. 
The ' English waiter' brought me one day a letter f(>F 
Mrs. Macdonald. I told him I was not Mrs. M. Ho 
looked at the letter, then at me, and hesitated. I said 
it was for a woman, "■lafenime^^'' and not for me. He 
continued dubious and I thought I shonld be obliged 
to go to extremities^to convince him that I v;as not Mrs, 
Macdonald. 

The "commissioner" of the Floicl cVAmcriqus is also 
rather a poor English scholar; and taxed my ingenui-. 
ty a good deal.,, 

"Here" said he, "is the Trojan column." 

"The what?" asked I, 

"The column of the Trojans." ■ 



ROME, ^ 61 

"Did it come from Troy ?" 

"Yes, the Trojan column." 

After a little reflexion, fori was thinldng of the con- 
diti(jn of Troy while Eome v»'as flourishing, I inquired 
if it was not the colunm of Trajan. 

"Yes, yes, Trnjan's column." 

Seeing a tree at a distance which I thought I knew^ 
I asked the guide what it was. 

"That is, is, is what you call the cry tree.'''' 

"The weeping willow, I suppose." 

"Yes, yes, that's it." 

"We^it up to St. Peter's to- day. The church was 
full of smoke. Some priests were performing in one of 
the chapels and burning incense. The odor was like 
that of sealing wax. AVent into the sacristy. Several 
St. Peters' there. St. Peter is everywhere here. St. 
Paul is seldom to be seen. "Was St. Peter ever in Eome? 
They have money here which is called a j?flz«/, which the 
natives think more of than of the saint. They do not 
"rob Peter to pay Paul," perhaps; but give theni a 
chance to rob both Peter and Paul ! And then see. 

Some persons were going down into the cryj)t under 
the church, a priest bearing alighted, candle before themy. 
and wished me to g'o also ; but the way was too crook- 
ed and dark, and I remembered my fall at Genoa. They 
told mc that they saw some of the pavement, &c., of 
the church built on that spot by the early christians; 
many of whom suffered death on the ground where St, 
Peter's now s.ands. 

As I walked away from the church down the square, 
I saw ten or tw'elve pieces of cannon ranged with their 
muzzles towards St. Peter's and the Vatican. Not 
knowing what to' make of this, I, got so near to the am- 
munition wagons that the French sentry reque^^'red ma- 
in a polite tone, to stand farther away, which of course 
I did, not being able to face "the crowd." 

"Aha !" said I to myself, "what are the 'thundfcrs of 
the Vatican' to the barking of these little lion's whelps!" 

I passed around to the castle of St. Angelo and had 



82 ROME. 

hardly got upon the bridge leading across the Tiber; 
when baiig went a gun from the castle just behind rne, 
At that moment a brass band was heard and a troop of 
French soldiers marched over the bridge. At a little- 
distance from this, I mot some cannon g )ing towards- 
the castle and St. Peter's I did not know but there 
was a revolution. Every thing is kept so quiet here, 
that it is not likely we shall know if it bj so, iiiitil the 
arrival of the next nowspnpero. But they may never 
come. "Galigiiani" was stopped the other day for some 
article not liked by this govciiiment 

There is one thing they cannot stop here, and that is 
the o-cmi. AVe have it every day in showers, but then 
the air is like that of April. 

I have seen and heard enough of France and Italy 
now, to declare ponlivchj that a man can live cheaper 
in America than ineither of the two. Enilaud, of eour.^e, 
is the dearest of the dear. You may take an attic room 
in a back street, up a back stairway and eat you know 
not what — ("rats and mice and such small deei") at a 
common cafi strong with the odors of that damnable 
weed, tobacco ; but for the same money }ou nuiy pur- 
chase more known christian comforts, even in the ex- 
travagant city of New York, than in Fran:;e or Italy. 
This opinion is confirmed to me by numerous persons. 

The "coin of this realm" is mostly in sntll, (dollars,) 
pauls^ (ten cents,) and bioccld^ (cents); or as near as 
may bo to that valuation. A copper half paul, (5 cents,) 
when it has six or seven companions in your pocket, is 
very hard on suspenders and trousers', buttons. How- 
ever, the hospitable people of these parts are at all times 
willing, by night or by day, to relieve yqu of your bur- 
then. 

Dec. i5^7i.— Eain ! rain! ! rain ! ! ! 

".■'ptuit rain, till j'ou have dreacUocl tbc steeples, 
"Drowned ihe cocks." 

But the sun will come out at times, and the moon too. 
By-the-bye, a party is getting up with us to visit the 
Coliseum by moon-light. It is not safe to go alone, al- 
though there is a sentry there with fixed bayonet. 



ROME. 83 

^ wish to seethe taper shadow of that single cypress 
tree upon the hill, pointing- lil^e the "slow unmoving 
fingef uf scorn" to\\ardsthe blood-staineJ Amphithea- 
tre 

Dv. 16/A — There is a young artist from Scotland 
stopping at thesanie h( tcl with nic, who is one of those 
•enthusiasts that we sometimes read of. He is evident- 
ly poo- an I (lojs not ritle, but walks. He has already 
dono four thousand niiIe.-> : and his task is not yet ac- 
coni])l!s!',ed. He sketches as he goes; and from his 
•con\ers:iU();i I sliould judge tliat he has read much, is 
of a lit'erary turn, jin.l.is most likely making a book. 
A book for whic:\ he cannot find a publisher; or one 
tliat will not strike the dull tympanum of the |)ublic. 
Yet on he goo-: a bi-iiiht-cyed, rusty-coated enthusi- 
ast ; ex[, ejtmg fame, but destined probably lik'f^ crowds 
of others, to meet w'.th bitter disappointment. Yet 
with his strong heart and thick soled toots, he presses 
onwards to the evJ-hour. 

As to the f//irk soled-boots, they are indispensable in 
European travelling. Also woollen socks. I have worn 
stout beo s every day but one since I left New-York. 
On the wet deck of a ship you require them; and you 
most need them while stumping about paved cities or 
into the rjuiih country in search of curiosities In 
Rome, almost entirely without sidewalks; and paved 
with small stones which hurt the feet, and which are 
•almost always wet from frequent showers, stout-soled 
boots are not to be avoided. I throw out this hint for 
your travelers. 

The British pecple at the Hotel cPximerique think 
and speak lightly oi the young artist above menticnied; 
but they show great deference to a "cnptain in tho 
Crunrds," who is trtaying at this house, and who is as 
axvkward and ungainly a man as j^ou will see in our 
back- woods. 'J hey fear to speak to him unless helirst 
conunences the conversation. 

"Who is this man," said I to one of them, "that you 
•hew him such great respect':" 



84 ROME. 

"He is a captain in the guards; lio has positio7i, and 
it is that v,'e I'espect. You Americniis cannot under- 
«tai;d this feelino-. You know notliiiig about it." 

'■For ono," said I, " T do not wish to know anything 
iibout it If a man conducts hinisulf in a proper man- 
ner, no matter who he is, I had as liovu take him by the 
band as a captain in. the guards," 

'■ Tlic ri;nk is but llic jrn^iioa's Stan";!! ; 
T!io muii'o the i^y.a fjr ;i' tl;:,t " 

Iwas mentally voted a "red republican" on the spok 

111 the course of the day I strayed into the church of 
■St. John Lateran, wlierc they say they have in safe 
preservation the table on which the Last Supper was 
c.iten ! 1 have no doubt that many people believe this 
r.ssertion. FaitJi is a great thing; and so is crcdahhj. 

Went to the Coliseum. Martial di'unis v^-ere beat- 
ing on the Appian Way beyond the Arch of Constan- 
tine : and in front of the Coliseum a company of sold- 
iers were going through their exercises. I sat down 
upon a stone in the amphitheatre and tried to imagine 
some of the scenes tliat have been enacted within its 
walls. 

Oh, that the neck of every living tyrant vcas beneath 
my feet ! 

Oh, that I weighed five thousand pounds and had tho 
pyramids of Egypt in my pocket ! 1 

When the man whose dagger is v;et \\\i\\ tho blood 
of a t^yrant, shall go to his last account, tlic angels will 
•extend their right hands to him ; and looking with tear- 
ful eyes towards the Almighty', will begin to ask for a 
foi'givcness that is already granted. 

D:c. MUi. — A May day, warm and s'wcet. Yfent 
to St. Peter's witli some others and ascended to the 
roof. Supposed that the dome up there would have a 
v;:st appiniranco, but it did not. AYeut inside of it. 
ThL' jiarty generally expressed disappointment. Tho 
saying attributed to Michael Angelo, that he would 
take the dome of the Pantheon v.nd "hang it in the aii'," 
appears extremely windy. The view from the roof, of 



jl O M E . 85 

city and country was very fine. T -ree cats, belonging 
to the man who Hves on the roof, were very gracious 
to strangers. They might have been old Romans in 
disguise. A black one, with a wicked eye, looked like 
Nero. 

Dec. 18;;/i.— Sunday. This is better observed here 
than in ^France ; all the shops being closed ; while the 
myriad churches are open. 

The air is warm and fine, but the pavements are wet, 
•as usual, from the frequent showers. 

Went up to St. Peter's. Some peasants, with bags 
on their shoulders, came in and kneeled before Capito- 
line Jove. After remaining in this position for a time, 
they got up one by one, kissed the foot of the statue, 
crossed themselves devoutly and walked off. A boy of 
the party going up to kiss the foot, one of the men 
pushed his head against it and bumped his nose. This 
appeared quite irreverent. These peasants look like 
Irishmen. They have knee breeches, low steeple crown- 
ed hats, and are sturdy looking feliovv^s. Many of them, 
beg, because in the present state of things there is no 
work for them to do. 

Walked down to Mount Pincio, a truly delightful 
hill. Many carriages there, and much people in the 
broad paths or among the green trees and shrubbery. 
The fine sun enlivened all. 

I am surprised on passing companies of priests to 
hear so many of them speaking English with the true 
British brogue. Puseyism has made a considerable 
haul in England. Let us keep its nets out of our 
waters. 

Cardinal Wiseman is preaching here. I should have 
gone to hear him to-day, had not his hour been four 
o'clock, and my dinner is at five. I like my dinner 
better than his doctrines. 

Dec. I9th. — A party, consisting of one Scotchman, 
two Irishmen, two Englishmen, and one American, 
started at eight o'clock this morning for Tivoli, across 
the Roman Campagna Little patches of the old Ro- 



86 T I V O L I . 

man pavement remained, but composed as it was of flat, 
undressed stones of various sizes, not laid close togeth- 
er, it did not afford easy riding. Tlie country looked 
barren, or like worn out land. Much of it belongs to 
the church. Saw a herd of buffaloes with other cattle 
grazing in a field. Stopped the carriage to take a view 
of the "Tartarean Lake." It was in a cultivated field, 
and seemed a diminutive pond, crooked and narrow, 
like a creek. Couldn't smell anything. Kode on some 
distance, when a powerful stench struck our noses. It 
was from a ditch which crossed the road, and which 
was the outlet of the '' Lake of Tartarus." The sulphur- 
ous smell which vve now encountered was almost enough 
to knock one's hat off". As we neared Tiv(?li, seated up 
among the hills, the road wound along the side of the 
mountain among a large grove of olive trees. The 
olive is gnarled and crooked, and in shape resembles 
the apple tree. From the hill, or mountain, we had a 
fine view of the level Campagna, with Rome and St. 
Peter's in the distance. On arriving at a public house 
near the Temple of the Sibyl, we passed through into 
the yard to get a view of the Falls of Tivoli. Several 
small streams pitch over the precipice into the valley 
below. The largest is about the width of an ordinary 
brook, and sends out clouds of spray at its foot to keep 
the valley green and beautiful. The scene is surround- 
ed by an amphitheatre of mountains, combining the 
beautiful and grand. Half way down a hillside stand 
the ruins of the villa of Horace ; and not far off those 
of Catullus. Shut in here Avith his own meditations, 
among this wild scenery, with the milky cascades be- 
fore his eye, and their seething descent to the vale be- 
low, breathing in his ear by night and clay, no wonder 
that the poet became inspired. 

The Temple of the Sibyl stands on a high bluff. It 
is small and round, encircled by colunms, most of which 
no'w remain. It is connected with a small square build- 
ing. The view of them from below, is very picturesque. 
At the sides of the paths leading down the precipice, 



ROME. 87 

are several eaves ; one large one is called the Grotto of 

Neptune. 

We had a dinner at the public house ; and I waa 
much surprised to see when the time of settling came, 
how suspicious the British people were of each other's 
moral honesty.. Every one appeared to think that the 
others wished to cheat him. We manage these matters 
more properly in America. 

On our return, when about a mile from Tivoli, we 
turned off the main road to Adrian's Villa. Scattered 
over several fields, are broken walls and arches. The 
villa and grounds were said to be ten miles in circum- 
ference. A theatre, baths, &c., were attached to the 
place. Though the remains appear mostly of brick and 
mortar, many elegant columns were taken from this 
place ta adorn the churches of Eome. Many statues 
and other works of art were also found here. 

The " Vale of Tempe''' (*) is in this vicinity. A pret- 
ty valley, though very small of its age. 

We had another sniff of the stinking Tartarean Lake, 
which was anything but agreeable after dinner. 

Three hours after dark we arrived near the gates of 
Eome. Some gendarmes met us and asked if we had 
"seen anything on the road." Had we been one or two, 
instead of six, we might have seen the muzzle of a mus- 
ket "on the road". The robbers are not yet all taken. 

As we drove into the town, we observed that some 
of the public buildings were illuminated. We were told 
that two new Cardinals had been made. Illuminate 
the people's mind, and there will be no Cardinals. 

Dec. 9.Qth. — Rain, rain, rain. 

Dec. 2lst. — Rain, rain, rain. 

" The rain it raineth every day ;: 
" Heigho ! the wind and the rain." 

They have been making a "mitred abbof^' of an Eng- 
lish seceder to-day; the first since the Reformation. 
Those who saw the ceremony, describe it as very ridi- 



* I thought the Vale of Tempe had been in Greece. There must hare been a 
great land slide. 



S8 K O M E , 

culous. Where the new Abbey is to be, I am unabl©- 
to say, but I believe it is to be in Lincolnshire. The fat 
bucks ! the venison pasties ! the Rhenish wine and the 
nut-brown ale ! ! 

To-morrow the Pope performs the ceremony called;; 
"opening the mouths" of the two new Cardinals ; that 
is, allowing them to speak. None are admitted to this 
performance unless they go in opera dress ; "tail coat ;" 
black pants and vest, and white "choker." 

Dec. 22d— "Was not that thunder?" 

We had at midnight a thunder storm. — This Eoman 
thunder is very good. Did not the "sheeted dead" 
gather at the Forum to hear Jove thundering in the 
skies ? 

Eain, rain, rain ! Always rain in Eorne. 

Went to the picture gallery of the Vatican. Saw 
one of the "wonders of the world;" the Transfiguration 
by Raphael-^ also pictures by Titian, Corregio, Guido, 
Carlo Dolci, &c. As the moderns excel the ancients 
in the art of sculpture (it is my ojnnion)^ so do the "new 
masters" beat these old buffers all to pieces. Artists 
who know, and nincompoops who don't know, may 
differ with m^e in opinion. 

Went into St Peter's. The two new Cardinals came 
in with a dozen or more priests, a guard of papal soldiers 
dressed like Harlequins, a number of servants or "flun- 
kies" in livery, with vastly intelligent heads and faces, 
and a crowd of spectators. The trains of the Cardinals 
were held up by some of the subservient priests. Before 
several of the altars the procession kneeled, and perhajjs 
said prayers. Capitoline Jove's foot vfas reverently 
kissed by the Cardinals-, ^iter having been carefully 
wiped with a white handkerchief. The educated rogues 
knew that it was the statue of Jupiter, but they were 
obliged to please the mob. 

In the porch of the church about fifty poor people 
were each presented with five biocchi (5 cents) by a 
man with a bag in his hand and a white hat on his head. 
Could all the poor of this poor city have been collected 



ROME. 89 

and presented each even with so small a sum, it would 
have made their hearts glad. 

Dec. 9.Zd. — More ram ! Went to the Borghese palace 
to look at pictures by the ''old masters." This is said 
to be the best picture gallery in Rome. "So mote it 
be." I am pretty well satiated with palaces and pictures. 
Cold and cheerless exhibitions. 

There is always something to pay the doorkeepers 
at all these places, although the gallei'ies are called 
"free." In arranging these little money matters, I have 
noticed, time and again, that the subjects of Queen 
Victoria are contemptibly^ mean. They stoop to evasions 
and tricks that any decent American would scorn. 

Will this everlastmg wet ever become dry ? It is 
not at all cold, but we strangers, or "forestiers" as we 
are called, are obliged to wear our uncomfortable over- 
coats as a protection against the damp. Several severe 
colds have already been taken by my new foimed 
acquaintances, becaase they found it too warm for over- 
coats. When in Rome, do as the Romans do ; and 
nearly all of them wear their cloaks. 

Dec. 2iih. — The sun is making an attempt to shine 
to-day. Heaven grant that he may succeed! Went 
again to the Coliseum. The sun shone out warmly at 
intervals, and the birds flew over the arena or sat and 
sung high up among the grass crowned arches. Happy 
little fellows! They had never read ancient history, 
and were not made melancholy by reflecting that their 
songs had been sung in a scene of former awful sufl'ering. 
But the old amphitheatre is mouldering and crumbling. 
Even the many new arches that have been inserted 
will not suffice to hold it up. 

"While standi the Coliseum, Rome shall standi 

"When fills the Coliseum, liortje shall fall ; • 1 

And when Rome falls, the WQrld." 

Which 'Rom.Ql 

Returned to the- Forum. I wish I could see the artist 
who made the print of the modern Forum. I would. 
Ii1:e to have him point out the ruins he has put into hia 
picture. 

8? 



Descended to the base of the Tarpeian Eock. About 
15 feet of earth seem to have formed here; and I conjee 
ture that the rock may have been 40 feet high. Suc- 
a fall would break bones. 

Strolled back to Mt. Pincio, and from thence to the 
only decent cafe in Rome, in the Piazza di Spagna. 
Saw several Englishrhen there taking coffee and trying 
to look satisfied. The attempt was a failure. 

To night, at the church of St. Mary Maggiore, the 
Pope is to be present. The manger in tvhich Jesus 
Christ ivas born is to be carried in procession ; with 
other ceremonies. 

Dec. 25th. — Christmas day. They say that here are 
6,000 priests, friars, monks and nuns. Will they be at 
St. Peter's to-day? 

At the bridge of St. Angelo, dragoons were posted; 
also along the streets thence to St. Peter's. The people 
on foot and in carriages were tending towards the great 
church. As I entered St. Peter's, a military band up 
in the dome were playing a very pretty air. Several 
hundred soldiers were drawn up in line in the body of 
the church, armed with musl^ets and bayonets, swords 
and pikes. The clanking of muskets on the marble 
floor of the church, produced thought. Some of the 
Pope's guards were dressed fantastically. One of his 
household wore precisely such a dress as Ham.let wears 
in the play. He was ever strutting- up and down. I 
got near some tall grenadiers, with caps four feet high, 
and there was no chance of seeing beyond them. Many 
French soldiers were present, merel}^ as spectators. One 
of them attempting to pass into the square beyond tlie 
grenadiers, where ho saw some of his companions, was 
not permitted because he wore his gray military over- 
coat. The French soldier, who was a head shorter 
than the Italian guard, looked up with a meaning smile 
on his lip. Place the two, thought I, in a field alone, 
with proper weapons in their hands, and I will wager 
100 to 1 on the Frenchman. The Italians will turn on 
the French some day ; and then ! 



ROME. 91 ' 

I saw some persons present whom I considered were 
militia officers when at home. They seemed as if they 
felt themselves suspected to bo sham warriors, although 
wearing the gewgaw dress. An Irishman here whom^ 
I know, wore his boat- club dress so as to get a good 
place. This was quite ridiculous. 

Chanting and singing went on for two hours. Voices^ 
were heard in distant chapels of the church, and replied 
to by the choir. Now you heard them, and now jou 
did'nt. "Then again you did." Suddenly the soldiers 
in front, and the spectators around me knelt down. 
The Pope was coming ! I continued my efforts to back 
out of the crowd, for I supposed some zealous persons 
would attempt to make me kneel ; and I resolved that I 
would not do so. At last I got near some French sold- 
iers, part of whom were standing. Here I felt at ease. 
I could not see what was going forward, but learned 
afterwards that the cai'dinals were kissing the Pope's 
hand ; and some inferior priests his foot. Che "host," 
or "sacred wafer", or something else, was elevated ; a 
procession of cardinals with white caps, seemingly of 
foolscap paper, passed within my view; then the Pope, 
borne b}'' men and sitting under a gaudy canopy. A. 
''blessed cap," destined, they say, for Louis Napoleon's 
head, was borne before him ; and behind him upon the 
end of a pole, a peacock's tail. The Pope had a mitre 
on his head decorated with jewels; and on his fingers 
were valuable rings. His robes were white. His face 
was jolly ; he looked like a well fed, kind hearted old 
man in an uneasy position. He is weak and timid ; and 
perhaps sighs for a private station. 

The crush at the doors was great. After getting 
well jammed, I placed myself in a corner to allow the 
crowd to pass. Here I saw several Itahan ladies who 
were handsome. They have a curious method of look- 
ing at you out of the corner of their dark eyes. I sup- 
pose they can't help it. Wish they could. 

The theatrical ceremonies I have seen and heard of 
here, together with other persuasives, are making me 



92 ROME. 

an Anti-Papist. I cared nothing for Popery before; 
now I contemn it. I have visited the churches, seen 
the comedies^ but did not wait for the/arce. It was all 
farce. 

More than ever, now, do I respect our little white 
country churches with their pure and simple form of 
worship. The rough backwoodsman in the western 
forest, can send up from his heart among the giant trees, 
an offering to the Almighty, that must be far more ac- 
ceptable than these idolatrous mummeries. 

Dec. 26ih. — Being near the old capitol to-day, I went 
into the courtyard of a gallery of sculpture to look at 
some fragments of a huge statue. The feet were enor- 
mous; and the arm above the elbow was larger than a 
hogshead. What was the height of this statue, or where 
it stood, I do not learn. 

"The thunder stricken nurse of Rome," 

sung by Byron, is in this gallery. It is an ancient statue 
in bronze of% she-wolf Underneath her are two little 
naked babies, well developed, busily engaged in extract- 
ing their nourishment. These tvfo are Romidus and 
Remus. This statue was struck by lightning, which 
made a hole in one of its hind legs. 

There is here a bust of Brut us. He had a bold front ; 
andresembled Red Jacket, the Indian, and Ned Forrest, 
the tragedian. Here I saw full length statues of Virgil, 
Cicero and Julius Ceesar. The two former were in a 
badly lighted room. The latter seems a man of brains 
and will, but the face is not like that of a bust of him 
at Florence. The art of flattery was understood in- 
ancient times. 

Crossed the square and entered the building where 
li-esthe "Dying Gladiaton" He is worth several visits. 
Saw here to-day, "Pliny's Doves." This is a very fair 
mosaic of doves drinking out of a vase. It was found 
in Phny's villa. The statue of the Venus of the Capitol 
could not be seen the day after Christmas. Why? 
Because she is naked ? 

Walked away to- a church where upon the altar lay 



ROME. 9S 

a wax doll about a foot long, wrapped in gold wrought 
swaddling clothes. It represented the infant Jesus. 
Around him were burning several wax candles. 

"When I came away from the church, I stopped to 
loot at a palm tree. The wind was playing with its 
peculiar leaf-shaped branches, if branches they were. 
Its trunk is pecuhar and the whole tree resembles the 
prints of it, except that it is shorter and larger than the 
idea conveyed. Perhaps this climate makes the 
difference. 

Dec. '^Ith. — The sun is out once more ; for a brief 
period, I fear. I have been making up my mind for 
Naples, but after the protracted rains, the roads, 
although usually good, must be heavy ; and the inns 
by the way, poor at all times, damp and unwholesome. 
We have accounts of a whole party having taken the 
malaria lately at one of those inns. The distance to 
Naples is one hundred and seventy miles ;* and to go 
comfortably, you require three and a half days. You 
can do the journey in several ways. By diligence, 
starting at 11 A. M., riding all night, and arriving next 
afternoon. By diligence at 7 A. M., sleeping at Terra- 
cina, and reaching Naples in the next night. By vet- 
turino, travelling at ease by daylight, and sleeping 
three nights iipon the road. By the first two vehicles, 
the fare is about twelve dollars, and "find yourself" 
By vetturinOy about eleven dollars, and found. In the 
early morning they give you coffee ; at eleven a meat 
breakfast ; and dinner at four or five when they stop 
for the night at the place where they have provided 
you with beds. This is the best method of reaching 
Naples at this time. You can go by diligence to Civita 
Vecchia, and thence by the Marseilles steamer to Na- 
ples, but there is now a quarantine, and the passengers 
are sent to the lazaretto for several days. When the 
weather gets pleasant, I think I shall try the vetturino. 

One must be careful how he talks \w Naples, We 

* Probably less. 



94 ROM E - 

hear of an American and an Englishman who had 
been arrested by " King Bomba," because they dared 
to express their opinions aloud. Where is Captain 
Ingraham ? I had rather have him for my friend in 
such an emergency, than the whole American Con- 
gress. Every man who leaves here for Naples, they 
say, is well known. Spies are listening at all the pub- 
lic places. I have been warned once or twice not to 
speak so freely, but the truth will out. I. wish to keep 
out of difficulty, of course, but I never can have but 
one opinion of such a brute as the King of Naples. 
He would have no hesitation in taking one's letters 
from the Post Office, not he. "A little more grape, 
Capt. Bragg." This is the " short and easy method" 
to bring modern tyrants to their senses. 

I rode out to-day farther on the Appian Way 
than I had before been. We were a carriage full, de- 
termined to enjoy a semi-sunlight day. Tne old pave- 
ment is yet firm, but the stones of all shapes and sizes, 
though flat, are too far asunder and make rough riding. 
Along the way were set up many fragments of columns, 
statues, &c., that are being constantly dug up. We 
got a good view of Campagna ; and Frascati on the 
Alban Hills. Some thought they saw patches of snow 
on the mountains; but I thought them white villas. 
There were many old brick and mortar ruins in tho 
fields by the roadside. 

I saw by the Appian Way something that reminded 
me of America. It was a modern stone wall, the first 
I have seen in Europe. This is a Feast Day in Rome. 
All the shops are shut, and crowds are walking the 
streets and driving or sauntering upon -the top of the 
pleasant Mount Pincio. The day has become cloudy 
and somewhat chilly. The flowers in the open air 
seem cold. 

This Rome is a quiet, moral looking town on the 
outside. There is no visible form of licentiousness 
night or day. We may hear of private immoralities, 
but as we get our accounts from the most stubbornly 



ROME. 95 

prejudiced people in the world — the English — they are 
greatly exaggerated. From my limited observation, 
and from fiequent conversations with those of more 
experience of continental life, I firmly believe that there 
is more gross licentiousness in England and America, 
than in France or Italy. If these latter countries were 
as lewd as we have been led to beheve, there would be 
6ome signs visible to the stranger. " Grive the Devil 
his due." 

I here have another word to speak about the "Bri- 
tishers." I am surrounded by them every day at din- 
ner, most of the Americans having the opposite end of 
the table. I wish to see and hear t\\e foreigners at this 
time. The Englishmen all seem to know and associate 
with many of the "nobihty and gentry," that is, if one 
can credit their stories. Now I am aware that in Eng- 
land they look up to the titled asses above their heads, 
and dare hardly answer them if spoken to. A young 
Irishman here is continually telling us what "my friend 
Sir Thomas E said to me." I called an Eng- 
lishman's attention quietly to this fact, and he told m-e 
that this boasting (or toadying, as it may be called) 
was peculiar to Irishmen. This was a good joke to me, 
" seeing what I have seen, and hearing what I have 
heard." The fact is too apparent. Your free, bluff, 
gallant Englishman comes abroad to bully French and 
Italian Avaiters, servants and cab-drivers ; and returns 
home to be bullied in his turn. Nothing is good enough 
for him on the continent or in America ; while in either 
land he gets three times as much for his money as he 
^ets at home. Talk of the bragging of the Yankees ! 
Away from homCj the Englishman's whole life is a game 
of brag. 

Dec. 28th — "Wet and unpleasant. The Vv'aiter who 
^'speaks English" at this hotel, says : 

"The weather is very lunatic, «ir." 

"What," said I. 

"The weather is very lunatic ; is not that right ?" 

The word was not a bad one, but as he seems verj 



96 ROME. 

clesirous to learn English, I advised him to substitute 
'■'■ rheumatic y My limbs by certain twinges assure me 
that the correction is proper. 

"Italy, the land of music and song." So say the 
book makers and letter writers ; so sing the poets and 
so picture it the painters. Now, I have not heard mu- 
sic in the streets of Rome but three times; and have 
not seen one hand-organ. In the same space of time ia 
New- York, the account would have been very different. 
The spirit of this people is broken, and their musica;l 
instruments exported. Their cheerfulness is gone. They 
do not, like the Frenchmen, make the most of the pass- 
ing moment, but brood sullenly over their condition. I 
was led to beheve, as we all are at a distance, that Italy 
was gay and lively ; that music was as common as water. 
" Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying !" In 
Plorence there was a cheap opera company, but those 
who heard it said nothing. They say there is an opera 
here ; but no one seems to go to it. The singers are 
most likely fourth-rate ; as, good ones get better paid 
in America, France or England, and so emigrate thither. 
There is a large theatre in Naples ; and Naples is a 
large city ; wh at music and cheerfulness there may exist, 
I know not. But as far as I have had experience, there 
is no music and song in Italy. Genoa, Leghorn, Pisa, 
Florence, Eome, are sad and silent. 

"The harp that once through Tara's halls 
_ The soul of music shed ; 

~' Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls, 
As if that soul were fled. 

In truth, and in fact, I find on asking the opinion of 
the Americans, English and Irish, that I have met in 
Italy, all agree that Italy is totally different in all res- 
pects from what they were led to believe. The great 
poets who got drhnk on gin, fancied in their intoxica- 
tion that Italy was a paradise ; and then the little poets 
who followed, dared not disagree. The painters and 
the book makers were obliged to render their works 
attractive or they would not sell. And so we have 
been deceived ; and so we will continue to be humbug- 
.:ged until we come her-e and see. 



ROME. 9f 

Dfc. 29th — Chilly and cloudy to-day. Some flakes 
of snow have fallen. Fickle climate ! but we can match 
jou across the Atlantic. 

In a former part of my Familiar Journal, I spoke of 
an ill-mannered Irishman whom I m.et on the Marseilles 
steamer. He is now in Rome and visits at the hotel 
where I reside, much to the annoyance of several Eng- 
lishmen, with whom he has scraped an acquaintance. 
He is emphatically a ^joo?2o-e / and although that crea- 
ture is not unknown in America, I think this Irish 
sponge excels all that I have seen. He will enter the 
rooms- of those on whom he inflicts his company, smoke 
their tobacco, drink their wine, wash m their basins, 
borrow their overcoats, and every thing else that he de- 
sires, without ever oflfering to return a single civility ; 
and all the while talking of his lands, tenants, rents, &c. 
Although decorated with black hair to a sufficient ex- 
tent to attract the friendship and society of a baboon 
or bear ; and although gifted with a good and athletic 
figure, the vulgar snob shines out at all points. On 
congratulating one of the Englishmen on his new ac- 
quaintance, he informed me that these chaps were com- 
mon in Ireland. The snob, too, is continually lauding 
every thing English, and decrying all things not found 
in some part of Great Britain. As Ireland is, and has 
been lying at the foot of England, it would seem most 
proper for her sons to avoid becoming toad-eaters to 
her conqueror and oppressor; but the meanness of 
s'/wbism extends to a lower depth than "plummet line 
has ever sounded." 

Ttiere is quite another character in this hotel, who 
avoids a-s much as he can, his fellow countryman, if 
such he can be called. This is a clergyman of the 
church of England ; a man whom we in America, from 
his dress, conversation and general manner, would nev- 
er for a moment suspect of being a clergyman. Yet, 
vrith all his free and easy jollity, he is a gentleman in 
feeling and conduct ; anxious always to "do the right 
thing;" despising meanness and sponging; intelliffent 

9 



98 ROME. 

and agreeable. He enjoys a joke or a song with the 
rest, without feeling the choaking of a white cravat, or 
the scratching of a standing collar, because he wears 
neither of them. His main failing, which seems a qual- 
lity of the soil where he was born, is that liis prejudices 
against many things not English, and in favor of some 
abuses that are, sometimes make themselves visible. 
But this is a John Bulhsm, all the world over; yet 
may easily be excused when accompanied by sterling 
qualities. 

I first discovered this gentlemani:© be a clergyman 
by seeing "Eev." upon his card. This being the only 
English parson known to me, and withal sociable, edu- 
cated, frank, and destitute of visible bad habits, I can- 
not help respecting and liking him. 

Dec. 30th. — On coming abroad, it is customary to 
bring letters of introduction, most of which are never 
delivered. I have destroyed nearly all of mine. I had 
one to Powers, the sculptor at Florence, which I regret 
that I did not present. I should have hked to see the 
works he has in hand; but feared to trespass on his time. 

I went to-day to the studio of Gibson, the first 
English sculptor. - He is a plain, little man, with a sharp 
face and gray whiskers. He ajDpears about 50 years 
of age. There were several statues and busts in pro- 
gress, and numerous plaster models of perfected works. 
I saw a statue of Queen Victoria executed for the new 
Parliament House ; a model in clay of Justice, designed 
also for the same place ; and a bust of the Queen, which 
represents her as ''better looking" than the prints we 
see of her. Mr. Gibson has just completed a Venus, 
on which he has been engaged at times for six years. 
It is very beautifiil and quite equal to Powers' Greek 
Slave. * I should like to possess both. The Venus is 
the property of a gentleman in Liverpool. Gibson has 
Ji pupil, a young American woman. I trust she may 
become a sculptress of eminence; although so close an 

• Coloring hae biOB iiseJ on and about tlie Veaus, which is » blemish. 




I 



ROME. 99 

association with an artist will be apt to damage her 
reputation. 

When I know not what to do with myself, I stroll to 
the Coliseum, St. Peter's or ML Pincio. When last 
at St. Peter's, I saw some persons not only upon their 
knees at their devotions, but with their foreheads pressed 
to the marble floor. In coming from the Coliseum to- 
day, I met several monks or friars, bearing black crosses 
and chanting, followed by about twenty common and 
ignorant women. They went into the Coliseum, passed 
on to the large cross in the middle of the arena, knelt 
before it in the dirt, rose and kissed it; the friars sing- 
ing and chanting all the time. One of the "clargy" then 
preached a discourse, which of course was all Greek to 
me. I hope it did good to the poor people. How some 
of the ancient Eomans \vould have liked to turn the 
wild beasts into the &rena at this moment ! 

Dec. oXst. — I went to-day to see in an old palace a 
statue of Pompey; the one, they say, before which 
''great Cassar fell;" the statue running blood at the time. 
In his left hand the statue holds a ball; his right is 
extended; and drapery hangs from his left shoulder. 
He is much cracked and broken. Some persons deny 
that this is the identical statue. I cannot decide the 
point. 

After leaving Pompey, I went down past the Temple 
of Vesta, near which was a fountain, from the rim of 
which icicles were hanging. And no wonder, for the 
hills are now covered with snov^^ Passing onward, I 
saw the Tiber and the small sloops or schooners, as we 
may call them, which go down the river and so to Naples 
and other ports. The Pope's commercial marine is very 
shabby indeed. Peached the English burial ground and 
saw the grave of the poet Keats. He is said to have 
had his end hastened by a bitter review in one of the 
English quarterlies. 

"Who killed John Keats 1 

I, says the Quarterly, 

Po savage and tartarly ; 

'T was one of my feats." . 



100 ROME. 

A slab of marble about three feet bigh, has upon it 
a chiselled lyre, underneath which are these words: — 

"This grave contains all that was mortal of a young 
English poet, who on his death-bed, in the bitterness 
of his heart, at the malicious persecution of hia enemies, 
desired these words to be engraven on his tomb-stone — 
'Here lies one whose name was writ in water.' February 
24, 1821." 

The pyramid of Caius Cestius is near the grave. 
Numerous cypress trees grow in the burial ground. 

Entering another part of the cemetery, you follow 
the straight path from the gate directly up to the wall, 
and there is a flat marble slab, lying on the ground and 
surrounded by rose bushes. Shelley, the poet, lies here; 
or rather his ashes^ for his body was burned and his 
ashes placed in an urn. He was drowned while out at 
sea with his boat. Upon the slab you read these words : 
"Percy B^-sshe Shelley. Cor Cordium. Born, August 
4, 1792. Died, July 8, 1822." 

"Nolbing of him that dotli facte, 
Bait diitti suffer a s=e-a ehasige, 
into soiiiethiug rich ajid strange."* 

It was v^'ell for Shelly to die young, for his religious 
opinions, eo freely published, and his strange "matri- 
monial" alliance, would have ever kept Mra in conflict 
with the world. Yet his fame rises, higher, even now^ 
thau the wondrous column of which he- wrote^ 

^'■Whose capital seem'd sculptur'd in the sky." 

And whose "carved summit" at sunset 

"Ciist the stmke-n diayllgho 
Tar through the rerial waste." 

Thus it has so happened that at the close of the- year,, 
my last visit has been to a grave yard. ■ Not inap- 
propriate may be these lines of Shelley's, which I quote 
from nier-iory, 

"How wonderful is Death > 
Buath and his brother Sleep^ 
Que pt\ie. as j-ondor \\:aniii^ cnoon- ; 
The athe-r rosy ^s the morn : 
Yet both so. passing wonderful !" 

January Bd, 183 4. — An Englishman,, who. is a mer- 
chant in New York, and myself, bargained with th& 



ROME. 101 

vetturino to carry us to Naples for twelve dollars each, 
feeding and lodging us by the M^ay. The vetturino 
called for us at the Hotel d'Amerique at eight in the 
morning. He had bells on his horses ; and a little dog 
with his tail violently twisted to one side, came with 
him, also wearing a little bell. We took leave of our 
landlord, the most civil Italian I have yet met. He was 
formerly a courier, or guide, commissioner or valet-de- 
place, to families travelling through Europe, but has 
now risen to be a hotel keeper, and a good one. 

These guides, and also the drivers of vehicles, who 
come in contact with Americans and Enghshmen, seem 
to feel very little respect for church mummeries. They 
speak freely when out of earshot of their countrymen. 
Eiding out one day with a party, we saw a crowd of 
dirty looking people, mostly women, coming down the 
capitol hill ; and on asking the driver — a gray haired 
old man — the meaning of it, he replied '■'■ bamhino P'' 
(little boy) and fell into a fit of prolonged laughter, 
which we could not help joining. The people had been 
paying their adoration to a little wax doll, representing 
the infant Jesus, and only about twelve inches long. 
The old driver was not such a fool. 

Our companions from "Roma" to "Napoli" were a 
Frenchman, and a priest from Milan, sitting with us in 
the interior. With the driver rode another Frenchman; 
and on a covered seat behind them, a Milanese and 
another Frenchman. 

We passed the Forum and the Coliseum and took 
the paved road called the New Appian Way. Arches, 
sometimes alone, and sometimes several in a group, 
were seen here and there in the fields. They were the 
remains of an old Roman aqueduct. The Cam.pagna 
is not well cultivated. I believe it is mostly owned by 
the church, which accounts for its barrenness. Saw a 
shepherd and his dog watching a flock of sheep feeding 
in a rain storm. Had I asked him — 

" (Jentle shepherd, tell rae why " 



102 A L B A N O . V ALETTRA, 

you have no umbrella over your head ; he might have 
rephed — 

"A master I have and I am bis man/'' 

consequently I don't own an umbrella. 

The Alban Hills were before us ,' and at twelve 
o'clock we reached Albano, near which Horace had a 
villa. He is buried in the neighborhood, but no man 
knows the exact spot. Albano is like other Italian 
villages, coinposed of dirty white or yellow buildings, 
with the stucco peeled off in spots. Gold brick or stone 
floors, dirty and dark stone stairways, with ragged 
beggars watching your ingress and egress, help to swell 
the picture. AVe here had our first meat breakfast, or 
dejeuner a la fourchette (breakfast with a fork), as the 
French call it; and as we are fed b}^ contract, we did 
not much complain, although the nutriment had been 
extracted from the boiled beef to make soup of. Pork 
chops, potatoes, bread, wii^e and apples, completed the 
repast. The wane was not the old IFaleruian of Horace,, 
but the common red stuff of the country. As the room 
was chilly, the landlord brought in a kettle of coals and 
placed it on the stone floor. This is the manner in 
which St. Peter's is warmed, though the kettles are 
seldom seen. 

The sceneiy of the Alban hills is very Ime. The 
road was a good McAdamized one, and we enjoyed 
the afternoon ride. On the more level country, fields 
of cane were growing. This cane is used to train the 
vines upon, being cut and set up in rows. We passed 
several vineyards. The vines are sometimes trained on 
dwarf trees, set out in rows for the purpose, their tops 
being nearly all cut off. In going up a hill, our horses 
failed us, and we should have stuck fast there, had not 
the driver of a vetturino behind us, lent his aid. 

As we neared Valettra, the little ragged, barefooted: 
children, ran out as usual to beg. They kept pace 
with the carriage, holding out their dirty hands, and 
calling in most plaintive voices, Signor ! Signor ! The 
tone in which the Italians beg is always doleful in the 



THE P O N T I It E M A R S H E S . 103 

extreme. At four o'clock we drove under the arch of 
the hotel at Valettra and into the courtyard. At this 
bleak tavern we were to pass the night. The English- 
man and myself had a joint contract with the vetturino, 
which included " foco " or fire. Our bedroom was damp 
and we needed it. These contracts are printed forms 
as large as a warranty deed. Duplicates are signed ; 
one for the vetturino and the other for the passenger. 
The dinner at this cold hotel was eaten with hats and 
overcoats on. 

January Uh. — We met this morning a good many 
carts with small casks of wine piled up high upon them. 
Also 'little asses, carrying such large loads of hay, 
brush, bags, &c., that they could hardly be seen. Some- 
times an ass ridden by a man, with a large cloak, show- 
ed nothing but his head and tail. 

The scenery was pleasant. Plain and valley, hills 
and distant mountains met our view. The young green 
wheat appeared in some of the fields, and the land 
looked good. What a country could this be made 
were it in the hands of the Anglo-Saxon race ! 

A telegraph, with poles painted black, ran by the 
side of the road. The clouds again "descended ia 
showers." 

Passed several convents, monasteries, or some other 
fanatical prisons of the sort, looking gloomy, dull and 
heart broken. 

Met some droves of black pigs, seeming in excellent 
condition. The swine and nearly all the sheep in Italy, 
aa far as I have seen, are black. The oxen in this 
district are not white, like those of Florence, but dua 
colored. 

We were now in the Pontine marshes. These are 
flats, drained and cultivated in many places. Some 
small ponds of water are to be seen after the great 
rains which have prevailed ; and ducks and other birds 
are plentiful. Some gulls, driven in from sea by a gale, 
were flying about. There were also plover, snipe, mag- 
pies, and a bird that appeared to be a gray-backed 



104 TERRACIWA. 

crow. No person here is allowed to own a gun, unless 
he pays a considerable tax to government; and is never 
allowed to nse it without special license. The game 
served on the table in Italy, is taken mostly in snares 
and nets. 

At 1 1 o'clock we arrived at what seemed a stable or 
barn. Here we crept up a dark stone stairway and 
took oxir breakfast. The bread and wine were endura- 
ble ; but the boiled beef was as indigestible as a cork- 
soled boot, but not half so nutritious. 

The Pontine marshes stretched away like a level sea. 
They were ditched and covered with green grain. The 
-malaria prevails here in warm weather. 

With our little watch dog riding behind on the lug- 
gage, we set off on our journey. Many of the trees 
along the road had been cut off about twenty feet from 
the ground, and the stumps left to form new tops. * 
The mountains that had all day appeared on our left, 
now dipped suddenly in front of us and looked Avhite, 
chalky and perpendicular, as if split in two. At 4 o'clock 
we passed into the village of Terracina^ which is on the 
Mediterranean. We did not stop at the "Inn of Ter- 
racina" so famous in fiction, but at the "Grand Hotel. 
Eoyal," whose very foundation stones are washed by 
the sea. On the opposite side of the hotel runs a cliff 
a part of which, somewhat in the form of a square tower, 
has been rent off by one of the convulsions of nature, 
and now looms up in the air. There had been a gale 
and the sea was restless and roaring. A room looking 
directly down into the Mediterranean, was assigned to 
the Enghshman and myself. I walked out before dinner 
to enjoy the mild and balmy atmosphere. The telegraph 
passes through the village, part of which is built upon 
the side of the bluff. I saw a short railway leading Irom 
the chff to the sea, upon which was transported, perhaps, 
limestone or marble. 

This be'ng my birth day ; and my English companion 

• Firewood is very scarce and dear in Ita'j-. 



TERRACINA. 105 

fond of a glass of wine, and indulging himself in spite 
of the bronchitis, I stood a bottle of lachryma christi 
(tears of Christ) at 60 cents the bottle. A queer name 
this to be given to wine in such a pious country ! 

Our room having been warmed by a lire, according 
to contract, we ordered cofiee, eggs and bread to be 
ready at half past six in the morning, also according to 
contract. I lay hstening to the booming sound of the 
sea until I fell asleep. In the night I awoke and looked 
out of the window. There ^vas a new moon, hanging 
like a silver crescent in the Heavens. The distant sea 
looked dark and quiet. But as it approached, it dashed 
its waters over the breakers and dragged" large even 
sheets of foam, like winding sheets, to the shore. 

January 5th — The rest of the passengers, as well as 
the vetturino, wishing to start at 6 A. M., an hour before 
the appointed time, several deputations were sent to our 
room, but without eiiect. The vetturino then came^ 
but my companion would not consent. At last four of 
the passengers, the priest not among them, came in a 
state of excitement and almost insisted on our setting 
off at once. They said they were six to two in favor of 
going ; that we could not reach the place where we 
were to dine and pass the night, before late in the 
evening ; and the spokesman, a Frenchman, stood by 
the Englishman's bedside, slapping his breast, gesticu- 
lating as all Frenchmen do, more like monkies than 
men, and declaring that he had a disease of the lungs. 
The Englishman, who is smaller and younger than 
myself, lay perfectly straight upon his back, with nothing 
visible but his face, decorated with a yellow moustache 
and whiskers. His head was raised about six inches 
from the pillow without the help of his hands, just as a 
Bnake raises his head; and he was rebutting the French- 
man's arguments with considerable vigor; asserting 
that he had got the bronchitis, and he'd be — if he'd go I 
The person who occupied the other bed in the room ; 
and whose name you may guess, stood holding up his 
drawers with one hand^ as one of Washington Irving's 



l06 



TERE-ACINA 



worthies did his breeches, while with the other he 
pointed to the agreement with the vetturinom which the 
hour of starting was to be seven o'clock. The tableau 
was irresistible. The passenger who held the candle 
laughed; the Englishman laughed; the person who was 
striving to keep his drawers from falling about his heels, 
laughed ; all laughed but the oratorical Frenchman, who 
left the room sulky and grumbhng. 

Our road soon left the sea and we began to see more 
signs of cultivation. Some men were at work in a gar- 
den where we saw peas growing. The hills receded and 
left the land more tlat and tillable. The huts of the la- 
borers, built of mud, stone and sticks, were seen at inter- 
vals ; as were also detached fragments of old ruins. The 
scenery was beautiful ; and the country as green as our 
Spring. We reached the first Neapolitan custom house, 
and all the lus^o-ao-e was taken from the carrinare into a 
small house ; and the trunks and bags unlocked. Our 
passports, which had been out of our hands once or 
twice on the road already, were taken to the dignitaries 
up stairs. An officer with a long pencil in his mouth 
came to my trnnk. He had power to unroll every shirt, 
and I knew it. I also knew where to touch his tender 
point Alter he felt about 50 cents, he would hardly 
look at anything except a book of prints of the ruins of 
E-ome. This might excite rebellion, for they are afraid 
of books here ; so he handed it to his superior, a well 
dressed little man, who at once returned it as all right. 
"We paid what we pleased for our passports, and were 
happy in getting off' so cheaply. While at this office, a 
heavy storm of thunder, lightning, rain and hail, came 
on. 

The above custom house had something manly and 
bribable about it. At the last office which we passed 
in the Pope's dominions, the men did not even come out 
of doors. The driver came and collected some coj^pers 
of the passengers, when • we were allowed to pass on 
without any examination. 

Saw to-day some fig, orange and lemon trees. The 



G A K T A . 107 

two last wore in feather and looked well ; but this seems 
to be the winter of the fig and it looked bare. 

The road now turned into the mountains. Herds of 
goats came past us. Then a man with two horses to 
give us a lift up a long and winding hill, commanding 
fine mountain scenery. Some of the hills were covered 
with olives to their sam.mits. Well built viaducts led 
over the valleys and chasms; in fact, the road all the 
way to Naples is well got up and must have cost a deal 
of money. 

We passed a small village, most romantically situat- 
ed in ihe mountains. 

At about twelve o'clock we reached Gaeta, where 
we were to breakfast. The sea here again was in view. 
But a few rods from the inn, mountains with snow in 
their gorges, rose in the air, while near the house on 
the other side was an orange grove filled with yellow 
fruit. We learnt here, to our regret, that we had 
passed the tomb of Cicero without seeing it. He ia 
buried near the road, not far from this place. 

The Enghshman wished to try the classical Falernian 
wine. It tastes and looks like port. It may be Faler- 
nian and it may not. 

Saw on our way some men spading instead of plough- 
ing the ground. I presume they know the landmarks 
for there are no division fences. Except along the road- 
side, fences are rare in Italy. 

Many ragged, barefooted children ran by our car- 
riage. The girls were very fleet. Nothing would 
stop them but copper coin. 

Our poor horses began to fail. For several miles 
before reaching Santa Agata they could only go upon 
a walk. On driving under the arched gateway into 
the court-yard of the inn at six o'clock, the vetturino 
was unable to make the usual dash and flourish wnth 
his four jaded horses. 

The inn answered to the description of those spoken 
of in Don Quixotte. A whitewashed stone gallery ran 
along the back side of the house, from which could be 



108 SANTA AGATA. 

Been the distant bills over the opposite roof of the build- 
ing, erected round a hollow square. The court-yard 
below would have been just the place where the mule- 
teers would have tossed Sancho in a blanket. 

We were shewn into a bedroom with a stone floor 
und no matting or carpet on it. After some energetic 
conversation and gesticulations, we were given another 
in better condition. A row here commenced about the 
fire in our agreement, which the landlord said meant 
fire in the dining room. The Englishman got into a 
rage. The quarrel continued all the way along the stone 
gallery into the eating room, where sat the other pas- 
sengers. The Enghshman here insisted on a fire, 
partly in French and partly in Italian, winding up with 

the ferocious English oath of you ! which to me 

appeared such a ludicrous mixture, that I have not yet 
finished laughing at it. We got the fire. The vettu- 
rino, I presume, made explanations, 

January '^Lh. — The country looks more beautiful. Is 
the land better, the sun warmer, or are we getting 
under the thin edge of the wings of the Black Vulture of 
Superstition, whose body casts such a blighting shadow 
over Rome? There are vineyards on the hill sides. 
The grass and trees are green ; and the land is neat 
and "well tilled. I have seen nothing like it since leav- 
ing France. 

A ragged boj^, about three feet high, ran by the side 
of our carriage, reciting some verses and gesticulating 
like an actor ; slapping his breast at times to give more 
force to his words. His performance was well worth 
the coppers that were thrown to him. 

We passed some handsome orchards of olives ; the 
trees planted in regular rows like apple trees ; and the 
land beneath as level as a floor and fresh with green 
wheat. Some neat white dwellings appeared in the 
fields at long distances. Beyond were the blue hills, 
6till going with us on our journey. 

Some queer vehicles met us. All of them had but 
two wheels each, but the teams were various. A single 



CAPUA. 109 

small pot-bellied horse, with his head down, would bo 

plodding along; the rough square shafts, about four inches 
thick, going over his back and made fast to th.e wooden 

7 0^ 

saddle from which lie seemed to draw as well as from 
the rope traces. Sometimes three horses abreast ; the 
shafts fastened upon the back of the middle horse. 
Then u large ox and a little donkey harnessed to- 
getlier. The drivers looked and dressed like Irishmen. 
An occasional one-horse vehicle, also with two wheels, 
of handsomer construction was seen, containing jjeople 
looking like flourishing farmers. 

The day was mild as May when we reached the 
quaint old town of Capua at half past ten. Here we 
at once heard drums and saw soldiers, together with a 
few priests — to a procession of which the people took off 
their hats. We drove into the courtyard of the white- 
washed but mean hotel, and ascended from the court- 
yard up a winding stone stairway to the breakfast room. 
The breakfast was a failure. 

There is a railway from Capua to Naples, and some 
of the passengers went by it. Not only was our road 
bordei'ed with trees, but it ran betv^'een vineyards for 
many miles. The vines are larger here, and are trained 
on trees so high that a ladder is necessary to reach the 
grapes. The vineyards now look bleak and bare, like 
an American forest in winter. 

We knew that we were almost upon Naples, yet 
were aware that we could not see it from its situation, 
until within the town. We reached a small building 
before which the vetturino stopped. This was the cus- 
tom house. Several men in military toggery came out 
with a ladder to " make believe" take down the lug- 
gage for examination. The driver came to the window 
and told us that we could bo " put through" for one 
dollar. It was subscribed and paid by the Englishman 
and myself, the priest inside with us paying nothing. 
The vehicle moved on without further delay. This is 
the best custom house I have ever yet encountered. 
We stopped at the passport office, ilere our pass- 

10 



110 NAPLES. 

ports were taken from us and receipts for them giveu. 
We asked tke charge. " What you please," was the 
reply. The Englishman and myself paid ten cents 
each. 

We had been told that we would have more trouble 
with our passports and luggage in going to Naples 
than ever before. " Is not the truth the truth ?" I 
have had less trouble with u:iine tlum at any place this 
side of Folkestone, England. 

We entered a winding road among the hills. As we 
emerged from them we saw the Bay of Naples and the 
city. To the left was a mountain with two heads, both 
in the low clouds. The priest pointed to them and ex- 
claimed, " Vesuvio.''^ 

The vetturino rattled through the paved streets of 
the handsomest town this side of Paris. We reached 
the Iloicl i' Univcrs, situated in a fine wide street 
opposite to a garden full of green trees, with oval plots 
of green grass and shrubbery; adorned with fountains 
and marble statuary ; and its further side touching the 
water of the fai-- famed Bay of Naples. 

I was given an excellent, pleasant room. There was 
no soap in it; that was of no moment, for I keep my 
cake. The chambermaid is a ma}i/ This is improper. 
Very. 

Naples, Jamiarj/ 2lsL — It is necessary fur strangers 
in this city to get from the authorities a ca7-te of sojourn 
for one or two months, as they may require, paying 
therefor about fifty cents. This permission to reside iu 
Naples is now refused to Americans, whether on ac- 
count of some quarrel with our representative hero, 
(who I am told is iibsent) or whether on account of our 
too liberal ideas, I know not. My passport was sent to 
the American otfiee, and Mr. " 0. i\.lexander. Attache,'' 
stamps the American eagle in my book and gives mo 
permission to stay in Naples. I once heard an actor in 
the Bowery Theatre declare, in a patriotic play, tliat ho 
would "make the wings of the Americiui eagle his uni- 
hrella^'' so I must try to consider one of these wings 



TJAPLES. Ill 

TO}' " umbrella," and get shelter under it against all tlis 
wind and water of tyrants. 

Naples is beautifully situated, partly on a bill and 
and principally on the level space at its foot, extending 
to the edge of the Bay. To the left is Vesuvius, with 
its two heads usually in the clouds, which seem to have 
great afi'.ction for the crater^ and linger there when 
the rest of the sky is blue. The extinct crater, or the 
mountain where it is, is pointed at the top; then there is 
a small valley, and tlie round head of the present burn- 
ing mouutaizi rises higher in the air. When the v^'ind 
is lavcjrable a thin white smoke is seen hanging around 
it, changing its form momently. At the foot of Vesu- 
vius is built the village of Fortici, over the site of the 
ancient Herculaneum — but little of which is or can be 
exhumed, unless the village is destroyed. Besides, 
Herculaneum was buried in lava, which is so hard that 
the streets of Naples are paved with square blocks of 
it, which look and feel as solid as granite. Pomjjci, on 
the other side of Vesuvius, v/as covered with ashes. 
Great excavations have been made there, and smaller 
ones are still in progress. From the rear of Vesuvius, 
there sti etches a chain of hills along the shore of the Bay, 
for about twenty miles out to the ocean, where they 
eeem to terminate abruptly. Two or three villages are 
scattered along them, and at their extremity by the sea 
stands Sorento. From the farthest point visible you 
bring your eye along the horizon to your right hand, 
ten miles, and you see the island of Capri rising high 
out of the water. Here the Capri wine is made. It 
was to this Island, as I am informed, that Tiberius 
used to come with a lot of wine, women and prisoners. 
During his sprees he would throw a prisoner or two 
down a cliflf eight hundred feet high into the sea, and 
gloat over their death struggles. From the Island of 
Capri to the main land on your right, hid from sight 
by a range of hills which extend behind the city and 
out in that direction, is about twenty miles; so that the 
Bay of Naples is thirty miles wide w^here the sea 



112 NAPLES. 

sets in ; and it is six miles wide from Vesuvius to the 
range of hills on your right as you face the Island of 
Capri ; which, itself, is fourteen miles distant from 
Naples Along the face of the hills to the right, runs a 
handsome road, the fashionable drive of the city. 
From it you look down upon white villas and gardens, 
and get a fine view of Vesuvius, the city and the Bay. 
Virgil is said]to Le buried near this road I have not 
yet seoa his tomb. Around the point of the hills, the 
road leads to Bai©,, whith.er the literati of ancient 
Rome used to come in warm w-eather. The Islands of 
Ischia and Procidaare opposite this place. 

The Bays of Naples, New York, and Rio are pre- 
ferred, one by some, and one by another ; just as fancy 
dictates. I e.Kpectcd to find the Bay of Naples full of 
little islands, like Lake George; but the only Island 
visible fromthe city is that of Capri. It is so much expos- 
ed to the sea, that the only secure harbor is in a part of 
the Bay which runs in past Vesuvius. If it is a hand- 
Fomer bay than that of New York, I have j'et to be 
convinced of it. That Vesuvius makes its scenery 
more grand, I am willing to admit. 

Naples is said to contain three hundred and si.Kty 
thousand inhabitants. It does not look thus large; but 
I presume the poor people lie six in a bc-d. 1'hese Ita- 
lian cities must be much crowcied, for you see hardly 
any country residences in passing through the land. 
The streets are well paved. The houses mostly of a 
pale yellow, or white, five stories high, with green blindsj 
and ofren with balconies before every window. In 
these balconies the ladies may sit with t.heir novels or 
needle work, looking quite unconscious all the time; 
yet they w^ould feel very wretched did they not sup- 
pose the gentlemen to be gazing at them. The houses 
generally have a neat outward look, far superior to 
those of Rome. Naples does, indeed, look like a thriv- 
ing city. There is more stir and bustle hero than in any 
city I have seen, except Nevi^ York, London and Paris. 
It is not the bustle of business. The Strada Toledo 



NAPLES. 113 

(Toledo street) is the Broadway of Naples. Tho 
crowds on the sidewalks here are so great, that it is 
often difficult to make your way. Ttie shops look 
quite stylish, much after the French fashion. The 
tailors make great display, as do the jewellers, confec- 
tioners, &c. A handsome silk hat, to all appearance 
as good as the French hat, can be bought for one dol- 
lar twenty-five cents. And kid gloves for fifteen cents 
a pair. I have seen some well looking boots displayed for 
Bale but did not ask the price. How these articles will 
wear^ I cannot sa}"". At the doors of the bread shops, 
you see bread hanging on nails and in all kinds of 
shapes ; like hearts, krullers^ small loaves ornamented, 
or in rings. The flower stands exhibit fine roses, great 
clusters of them half blown and each as big as a hen's 
egg. Fresh grown peas can now be had of the vegetable 
merchants. Good plums, a little shrivelled from the man- 
ner in which they are kept, are plentiful. Oranges 
are, of course, a drug. A small Sicily or Malta orange, 
with a thin skin is the best. Many travelling pedlars 
go about the streets, with their wares upon their heads; 
and their cries make the air resound. This, added to 
the jingling bells worn by the flocks of goats continu- 
ally being driven into the city to be milked, or out to 
pasture, makes Naples full of sound. The street musi- 
cians also, with horn, violin, guitar, &c., dancing as they 
play; also Punch and Judy, who were created in this 
region, squeaking in the streets, with multitudes of carts, 
carriages, &c., make Naples a noisy tow^n. 

There are some omnibuses of moderate size, and one 
very small one, drawn by a single jackass. It is more 
for show than use. There are some handsome private 
carriages and horses. They have a cariiage here with 
a top, seating two beside the driver, drawn by one 
horse, which costs only twenty-two cents the hour. 
But the drivare- always ask for more when the ride is 
concluded. I see white oxen here ; an ox and a horse 
often harnessed together and drawing amicably side 

IQ* 



IJ4 N A r L E s , 

by side. Asses are plentiful, and come into town com- 
pletely covered up by the loads they carry. 

None of the public buildings here are remarkable for 
architecture. The king has two palaces in town and 
soveral out of it. There are about twenty-lbur thous- 
and soldiers here; but if they are no braver than they 
were in '48, when tivo thousand Ivon^ans (equivalent to 
seveu hundred and tifty Americans) made thirty thous- 
and of then> with their King run for their lives^, they 
are of little use. There are one or two foi'ts on tho 
bill beliind and bcs^ide the town ; an arsenal to which is 
attached a fort ; and a castle standing- out into the 
water as Castle Garden does in New-Yoidc. What the 
defences are out at the eutmnce to the sen, is of no 
moment. The wide entrance cannot be pi'otectcd by 
land defences. Naples is at the mercy of any maritime 
power, each of which she provokes. A quarantine has 
been imposed here without any reason ; France has re- 
taliated by quarantining Neapolitan vessels, and Eng- 
land has tlu-eatened to demand damages for all losses 
sustained by her people in consequence of the quaran- 
tine at Naples. J\[any travellers are kept away from 
this city ; and tlie hotels are not half full. Yon can 
live at a liotel here, as at Rome, for less than one half 
that you arc obliged to pay at an English or French 
hotel." 

There is a most beautiful garden in Naples, close by 
the water. It is called the I'i/ia Rcale; and is situated 
somewhat like the Battery in New-York. There are 
large grass-plots here, with grass^ green and thick ;. beds 
of tlowers and shrubbery. There are also, green trees; 
and among them the palm and cypress. Several foun- 
tains, ornamented with groups of statuary, add to the 
beauty of the g-ardens. Here in the broad \Yalks, 
crowds are seen ever}' pleas^mt afternoon. The gard- 
ens are not so large as those of the Tuilleries at Paris, 
but their situation is tar more beautiful. 

The climate here is variable though not cold. Flies 
and musquitoes have been troublesome since I came 



NAPLES. 115 

here, durin;> the warmer clays and nights. We often 
take our meals with the windows open. It has rained 
nearly every day for the last two months, but the 
weather now looks better. 

I had heard much of the lazzaroni of Naples, but I 
can find no class answering the description given of 
them in books. The fishermen with their red woolen 
ca;)S, hanging in bags l;)y the side of their heads, and 
the younger of them with bare feet, answer nearest to 
my notion of the lazzaroni. I have seen no Masaniello 
among them yet. Beggars are as plentiful hero as at 
Pisa; and that is saying enough. Priests are not so 
frequently seen here as at Ptome; but soldiers are more 
visible. 

Some of the streets of Naples are narrow and not 
over clean ; though superior in that res})ect to Pome. 
The finest street is that running past the public garden 
above mentioned ; and in which are situated the principal 
hotels. 

There are not a great many vessels in port, if I g^- 
ce\')t the feluccas, which prevail in the Mediterranean. 
They are about the size of a North Piver sloop, with 
a short mast ; and a long yard, one end touching the 
forward part of the deck and the other passing tho 
mast and stretching out into the air behind. The U. 
S. vessel of war, the Saranac, is now in port. Some 
surprise Was expressed that she was not dressed in 
colors on tho 12th inst, the King's birth-da}^ There is 
some bad feeling existing between the Neapolitans and 
Americans. The two newspapers published here, are 
of course allowed to say nothing about it. Like the 
one published at Pome, they are muzzled. 

One of the most curious sights in the streets of Naples 
is the letter-writers, several of whom are seated at tables 
near the post office and under the arches of the San 
Carlo theatre. Here you will see an ignorant woman 
or man, of the common order, sitting by these writers 
and dictating letters which themselves are unable to 
write. I have passed these letter-writers when they 



116 NAPLES. 

were alone niul have observed tliem gonenilly at work ; 
making out blank love letters, dunning- notes, threaten- 
ing epistles and the like, so as to be ready for all 
comers 

The King of the " Two Sicilies" was at the opera on 
his birth-day night; and the display, as I am told, was 
very fine. Tb.e monarch acknowledged the repeated 
cheers of an audience in full dress, b}^ rising and bow- 
ing often. Ho is said to be a large man with a heavy 
German face, and a sinister expression about the eyes. 
The Queen his second wife, had her hair profusely de- 
corated with jewels; as did also a common looking, red 
faced woman, who sat near her ; and who though- 
deucedly ugly, was what fools call " noble." 

The opera here is not well spoken of. All the emi- 
nent singers go to other countries where they are better 
paid. Tiie haJlct iXwy tell me, is very good. But the 
Queen insists that the dancers shall dress with — I do 
not know what to call them — trowsers down to their 
knees. This is a modest freak for this part of the world ; 
but who shall say it is not correct ? 

Tliere are several small places of amusement here, 
besides the great San Carh; and the other day I saw 
a sign over the door of a cirous shaped edifice, which 
read ^^AnfUcatro Guillaume.''^ The San Carlo theatre 
disputes the prize of greatness with the La Scala at 
Milan. One of them is the largest theatre in the world ; 
but iclddt., is the disputed point. I intend to have one 
look at the interior of the iSan Carlo whenever they an- 
nounce one of my favorite operas. The exterior of the 
theatre is plain enough. The English, .French and 
Italians make no such display as we do in the outside of 
our places of amusement. And as far as 1 have seen, 
their interior arrangements for the audience, are not so 
comfortable as ours. 

The Neapolitans, though apparently lazy, seem to 
have a speculative turn. Lottery offices are frequent, 
with the lucky numbers pasted outside the doors. 

TL'e fishermen here are a numerous body; and their 



N A r L ]•; s . 117 

many boats arc ranged in different places along the 
shore of the bay. Whether they will ever be concern- 
ed in another revolt, remains to be seen. Some Masa- 
niello may yet arise among them. 

I should say that the more common order of people 
here are given to piety, ni least momentary. 1 have 
Been them take otf their hats and kneel down in the 
streets when a procession of priests ringing a tealiell 
.and carrying f-oine imaginary sacred po])-gun, or other 
toy, was passing tln\)ngh the streets. The better order 
of people, as well at liome as here, are seldom partrdicrs 
of these ceremonies; and ai-e not usually seen at church 
unless there is some great show. 

The churches here do not appear to be numerous; 
and as I have heard notliing said of them by strangers, 
I infer that their interiors are not so handsome or rich, 
or gaudy, as these of some other Italian cities. 

The hotels here as well as other Italian houses, have 
no door-steps, but are entered directly irom the street. 
What we should call the xicond Biory , is hei'e called the 
first, and is considered the best. In the passage lead- 
ing from the arched gateway into the square around 
wiiicli the hotels are built, the otllces of the porters, 
&c , are situated. " Tiie ]')orter or gatekcper at the 
Hotel do Ij Univcrs, is a tall, spare man, tolerably well 
dressed, and wearing a little cap which he is constantly 
taking off as the guests ])ass in or out. A number of 
seedy, idle men, are generally congi'cgated about the 
dooi'S of Italian hotels; and lift their hats to all that 
pass in or out. Some of these are guides ; and some 
are anything you choose to make of them ; temporary 
servants or valets. 

The red wme is furnished here free, as usual, to all 
the guests at table The grape having failed through- 
out France and Italy last year, we are told that this 
red wine is manufactured cf common Oatalonian stuff 
and drugs; whether deleterious or not, I cannot say. 
The red wine, generally, cannot be so hurtful a bever- 
age as coffee ; and not so astringent as tea. It acts 



118 NAPLES. 

most powerfully upon the kidneys. Both French and 
Italians drink it freely. There is no intoxication in 
it, unless you drink a hogshead. 

The wines of Italy, liked by some, I do not fancy, j 
have tasted a variety of them from curiosity ; as well as 
many of those of France ; and I declare that none of 
them are at all equal to Heidsieck champagne. 

For some reason, we have a bad " exchange" h^re for 
our money. The Eoman dollar, or scudo, worth ia 
America ninety-seven cents, does not pass for so much 
here as the Neapolitan piastre, or dollar, v/orth with us 
eighty-six cents. The gold Napoleon, twent}^ francs — 
worth in America, at par, $3.60, will only go here for 
$3.30. And yet they say money is " tight" here ; and 
a banker has just failed for half a million of dollars. 
For what takes place in Naples, you must not attempt 
to account by any known rules ; and the newspapers 
here, being like the nexvspaper at Rome — nothing — you 
must exercise great caution in sifting the floating news. 
We have had rumors that Persia has declared war 
against England; that Louis Napoleon has been stab- 
bed ; and that nearly all the Mediterranean steamers 
have been cast away. One of them did run ashore at 
Leghorn. 

Jayi. 28. — The Museum is not so large as I expected 
to find it ; but contains many interesting objects both 
ancient and modern. The bronzes from Fonvpei are 
the most interesting. Many of them were blistered 
and otherw^ise injured by the hot ashes by which they 
were covered when the city was overwhelmed by the 
eruption of Vesuvius; while others looked, as fresh and 
perfect as if made a month ago, instead of having lain 
for one thousand seven hundred years covered in the 
earth. All the utensils, weapons, &c., were manufac- 
tured of bronze. Vases, jars, jugs, cups, kettles, plates, 
dishes, &c., have been exhumed in hundreds. The 
candelabra, lamps, and various household articles ad- 
mitting of ornament, are handsomely executed. Thers 
are little bronze figures of men and animals, that evince 



NAPLES. 119 

^';reat skill. I saw many cups v.'Loso forms Lave been 
imitated in modern crockery and china; and which are 
considered b}'' judges asvery beautiful. One of the drink- 
ing cups had a sharp bottom like that of the Vvine or 
• water jar ; which m.ust have been a hint to the drinker 
to drain his cup to the bottoin, as it could only lie on its 
side. Steelyards and weights, fish- hooks and other 
articles very like those now in use, were common in 
Pompei. The agricultural tools also, would remind 
you of Kome of those employed in modern days. An- 
cient weapons and armor were taken in quantities from 
the buried city. In one of the helmets lies a human 
skull ; that of a soldier, who died with his armor on ; 
and whose head is left precisely as found. Spears, 
battle-axes, &c., are ranged along the walls of one of 
the rooms of bronzes. 

Many articles of bronze, whose uses are now un- 
known, are exhibited in the museum. But there is 
one, of flesh, whose uses are sometimes known, which 
might startle the over sensitive. It is a human head, 
apparently that of a handsome female, so preserved in 
consequence of the situation in which she perished, that 
every feature though, browned and scorched by heat, 
is perfect in shape, except the eyes. This head is 
enclosed in a glass case. 

It is supposed that but few persons perished in the 
fatal eruption of the volcano. Timely warning was 
given them by the mountain before the great catas- 
trophe took place. Those who were overwhelmed, 
were most likely the sick and helpless; or those who 
were engaged in an attempt to save their valuables, or 
in plundering those of others. Some gold bracelets 
and some jewels found in Pompei, are preserved in one 
of the rooms of the museum. 

A battle-scene between Alexander and the Persiftns^ 
done in good mosaic, and forming, when found, part of 
the floor of a hou^e in Pompei, is here exhibited. It 
■is well done, even when comj^ared with modern mosaic 
work. 



1 20 P O M P E I . 

The private gallery of Pompeian bronzes is now 
closed and sealed b}^ order of the King. It used to 
require an ambassador's order to see it ; but now it 
cannot be inspected by any person. I am told that the 
King shut it at the request of the Pope. This collec- 
tion of bronzes, though executed in the highest style of 
art, comprises subjects that prove boyoni all dispute, 
Pompei to have been a most licentious and dissolute 
city, deserving destruction. 

There are several rooms in the museum tilled with 
Etruscan and other vases ; and on which are depicted 
scenes and incidents; with jars and table ornaments of 
considerable value. I saw a. small vase which cost ten 
thousand dollars, although its oi^parent value seemed 
to me in comparison to larger vases purchased in later 
days, to be about twenty-live dollars. 

Some liaudsome Grecian and Egyptian vases, cups, 
&c , were shewn, with colors as fresh as if executed 
within a year. 

There are lots of old picture;, in the museum, most 
of wliich are in my estimation, mere "leather and pru- 
nella." The Madonna and child, are of course to bo 
seen in every room. If the Madonna could know whose 
faces have been painted for hers, she would be grieved. 

In the rooms devoted to statuary, are bronze busts 
and statues from Pompei. There is a bust of "burning 
Sappho," which makes her a good featured woman. 
There is a statue of bronze, taken from Pompei within 
a few weeks, which is spotted from the effect of the 
hot ashes in which it was enveloped. 

There is a gallery of ancient marble busts and stat- 
ues, containing some very good specimens. 

In the courtyard of the museum, are many fragments 
of temples and other buildings, from Pompei and Her- 
culaneura. Broken columns and capitals ; pieces of 
statues, arms, legs or backs, and other interesting rub- 
bish. 

A few days after visiting the museum, I went with 
three others in a carriage to see Pompei. The road is 



P O M P E I . 121 

in the city for tlie greater part of the distance, requiring 
two and a half hours; or rather, it runs through villa- 
ges, now joined to the city of Naples, and passes within 
a few, miles of Vesuvius. Herculaneum was in our 
way ; but we did not stop, for there is but little of the 
town uncovered ; and as it was destroyed by molten 
lava which has hardened to stone, and is built over, it 
will probably remain sealed with its corpses and treas- 
ures, till the end of all things. 

Leaving our carriage at the nearest public house, 
we engaged a guide, who on being asked if he could 
speak French, replied hastily out, oiii ! My mind mis- 
gave me and I hinted to the party that he knew noth- 
ing but oMz", oui ; and so it proved, for he understood 
nothing but Italian. 

We were first conducted to the amphitheatre, the 
existence of which shewed the cruel and brutal nature 
of the Pompeians, It is slightly oval like the Coliseum, 
but of much smaller dimensions. Eows of stone seats, 
rising one behind the other, and without backs, have 
been uncovered. The arena covered v?ith green mould, 
is probab'y near the spot where stood the floor of 
the old circle, though not far enough below the first 
range of seats to prove it to be in the exact location. 
Too near proximity to the wild beasts would not have 
been pleasant. We left the arena through the vaulted 
passages underneath the boxes, or rows of seats, and 
ascended to a vineyard now flourishing above a part of 
the ancient city. The vines are here trained upon trees 
of considerable age, with most of their tops cut off" so 
as not to cast too much shade on the grapes. Green 
wheat was seen growing luxuriantly between the trees. 

Prom this place you descry a small valley, between 
Pompei and Vesuvius, the crater of which is perhaps 
four miles distant. Whether the twelve or fifteen feet 
of ashes were thrown violently from the mouth of the 
crater without falling into this vdley ; or whether the 
ground there sank during the catastrophe, is not known. 
From the vineyard, you see rich flats of land, once 

U 



l2Si P O M P E I . 

coverecl by the sea which receded at the eruption. 
These flats are now well cultivated and seem very 
productive. The ashes which covered Ponipei, mixed 
probably with steam or hot water from the crater, now 
look when dug into like a dark mould. 

On getting- into the streets that have been opened, 
you find them paved with ilat stones of various sizes, 
whoso edges appear to have been left uncut, so that it 
was impossible they should lie close together. This de- 
scriptioa seems to answer for all the old Roman 
pavements. Some of the streets were so narrow that 
it must have been ditRcult, if possible, for two chariots 
to pass each other; and in a few of them, the wheela 
had wornri/ts four or live inches deep in the pavement. 
Across the street, in several places, were hirge tlat step- 
ping stones, far enough apart for the wheels of the cha- 
riots to pass between them, and enabling the inhabitants 
to cross comfortably in muddy times. Sidewalks, with 
parts of their pavements of small white stones, are seen 
in several of the streets. 

The walls of the houses, still standing, vary from ten 
to fifteen feet in height. I thiuk the houses must have 
been but one story high, with flat roofs, on which the 
occupants could sit or sleep in the summer nights. Aa 
in modern Italian houses, there were no door steps; 3^ou 
entered the house imanediately from the sidewalk. The 
first room was the largest. As there was an opening 
in the r.oof, there was to meet it a basin of marble, 
about ten feet long and five broad, which was sunk 
into the floor and received the water that fell from above- 
From this "Impluvium'' the water was conveyed into a 
cistern near at hand. These cisterns had white fluted 
columnar curbs, about two feet high ; and the marks 
of ropes or chains used in hoisting the water was visible 
on their inner edges. The sleeping apartments and 
other rooms, are very small ; and in a modern house 
would be deemed very uncomfortable. On the walls 
were fresco paintings of various scenes, of men and 
animals; the colors being quite fresh. Acteon turning 



P O M P E I . 123 

into a stag and being devoured by his own dogs, becausa 
he saw Diana bathing; Ulysses and Penelope, and other 
pictures, were easily traceable. These frescoes, or wall 
paintings, seem to have been very common among the 
Pompeians, and are in a remarkable state of preserva- 
tion. Some of them are doubtless 2000 years old. The 
colors with which they are painted, are not nov/ manu- 
factured. 

The floors of some of the best dwellings were adorned 
with mosaic work. One of the battles of Alexander the 
G-reat, now shown in the museum, and of considerable 
size, was taken from one of the dwellings which we 
entered. Before this house was a stone with the saluta- 
tion "Ilave,''^ cutupjn it. Behind this house, as behind 
all of any pretension, had been a small garden, or 
^'garden plot," of a square foi-m, and surrounded by 
columns of white stone, or of brick stuccoed, and about 
twelve feet high. These columns may have supported 
a roof under which the occupants could sit; or may 
have been set there merely for ornament. They Vv'ere 
usually handsomely fluted, and with appropriate capitals. 

The exterior of the buildings, composed of brick 
coated over, stone or lava from former eruptions, either 
could not have been, very handsome, or their beauty 
was destroyed by the hot ashes that fell upon them. 
In a street called the Street of Abundance, we entered 
several shops, some of which had semi-circular marble 
counters with large round holes upon their tops, in which 
the tradesmen probably kept their merchandise. The 
faces of several buildings were painted with bright 
colors, now quite fresh, in checkers, showing them to 
have been drinking shops. These checkers are used 
even to this day in some parts of England to designate 
alehouses and liquor shops. A small shop, known to 
have been that of a barbc , from the implements found 
there, had a square block of stone in the centre, on 
which the customers sat during the operation of shaving 
or hair-dressing. We passed through several streets and 
visited various dwellings and shops. None of the latter 



124 P O M P E I . 

were more curious than that of a baker, whose oven of 
brick was very hke those of modern days. . There were 
severalhandmillstobe seen. One of them was composed 
of a large square block of stone, upon which was placed 
a cone, also of stone, in which were holies wherein were 
put the handspikes that served to turn it. 

The houses of Sallust, Diomedes, the Tragic Poet, 
(fcc, were known by the names and materials found 
therein, and by the frescoes on the walls. This second 
house is, I believe, mentioned m Bulwer's " Last Days 
of Pompei." Opposite to it is a tomb with an inscription 
upon it, shewing that it was dedicated by Diomedes. 

All, or nearly all, of the roofs of the buildings were 
destroj^ed, crushed in, and perhaps burned There 
was a bathing house which we saw, part of the roof of 
which, adorned with fresco paintings, as are the walls, 
still remains. A circular marble tub, sunk iatoi the 
■floor, and about ten feet across, proves itself a cold 
plunging bath. Near it is a room, once heated by fur- 
naces, into which the cold bather hastened. There is 
also a long tub of marble in which hot baths were 
taken. 

Besides the amphitheatre, there is a comic and also 
a tragic theatre exhumed. Both of these theatres had 
been destitute of scenery. A stone flat, or wall, some nine 
feet high, in which were sevei'-al doorways, s-erved to 
admit the actors who performed in a narrow space be- 
tw^een the wall and the audience. The tragic theatre, 
though small, is the largest. Steep and narrow stone 
steps led up to the boxes, or seats, now destroyed. 
None of these theatres had roofs. While in the tragic 
theatre, a butterfly (in January !) flew in and; passed 
leistTrely over our heads. 

At the back of one or two gardens, as they appeared, 
were very handsome fountains ; the walls behind taste- 
fully-adorned with mosaic work. These Pompeians 
must have been a luxurious, and most likely, an ener- 
vated people. 

/Some stumps of stone columns, well cut, were shewn 
yp?. Here was a large temple to Hercules. 



P O M P E I 



1^5 



There was a small Forum^ surrounded by columns, 
parts of which are preserved. The Temple of Justice, 
or rather the remains of its large brick pillars, is near 
it. The capitals are yet to be seen, and are of marble. 
Marble fragments, once composing Temples to Venus, 
Jupiter, &c., and the remains of a Pantheon, with /res- 
coes on its walls, attracted our attention. 

We came upon the ancient city walls, which were of 
lava, and perhaps twelve feet high. Previous eruptions 
of Vesuvius furnished the Pompeians with building 
material ; all to be overwhelmed at last in one mighty 
convulsion of the dreadful volcano. 

The fragments of marble columns lying or standing 
in various places, were nearly converted into lime by 
the intense heat. 

One of the most interesting parts of Pompei is the 
Street of Tombs. On either hand, as you pass down the 
paved street, are ranged tombs of marble, stone or brick, 
containing the names of the unknown dead. While 
my companions went down to explore some cellars or 
catacombs, accompanied by a guide with a torch, I sat 
down in this burial street of a deserted city, among the 
broken tombs of a licentious race, who have left endur- 
ing memoi'ials in bronze and stone of their degraded 
habits; and I could not regret their fate. Di'iven out 
to want and destitution, adversity may have corrected 
their vices. The few that died may have been innocent ; 
but the convulsions of nature possess no discrimin- 
ation. 

The excavations at Pompei can hardly be said to be 
going on. At stated periods, they dig a httle at the 
King's expense. The last memorial found there, was a 
bronze statue, now placed in the museum. 

Before leaving Pompei, our guide got into a quarrel 
with one of the sentinels — for sentinels are stationed in 
all public resorts, and public offices, in and about 
Naples. A stranger would have supposed that noth- 
ing but blood could stop the torrent of imprecations, 
vociferations and ferocious gesticulations ; but having 

1.1* 



' 126 NAPLES. 

seen these disputes before, and knowing that they were 
" all sound and fury, signifying nothing,"' I paid little' 
attention to the noisy gabble. A Frenchman flies into 
a rage, and does nothing but gesticulate and scold ; 
yet the Italian, I think, is his superior in this sort of 
warfare. 

On our ride home, we had a good view of the large 
Bay, with the Islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida, 
The two latter cannot be seen fi'om Naples. 

Old and blind beggars, or those pretending to be so, 
with a staff in one hand and the other lying upon the 
shoulder of a boy, ran beside the carriage begging. 

We met several of the singular one-hoi-se, two-wheeled 
carts, peculiar to this district, on which were piled 
twelve or more persons ; a heavy load for a single horse. 
An ox, a horse and a mule, harnessed abreast, or some 
other team as singular, drawing immense loads, balanced 
in a skilful manner, are common on the country roads> 

Feb. Atli.—As it is not likely that I shall ever again 
visit this part of the world, I feel a stronger desire tlian 
ever to g^^ to the land of Egypt, which is but a few 
days' sail from this. Although I can never be recon- 
ciled to the motion of the sea, I would willingly endure 
a little nausea on a voyage that led me towards that 
mystic country. But, once in Egypt, I could not re'- 
frain from Palestine ; once in Palestine, then ho ! for 
Turkey ; and being in Turkey, to keep out of Greece 
were impossible. All this comfortably done, would in- 
volve an expenditure of nearly one thousand dollars, as 
I am told ; and in the present state of my money mar- 
ket, I should be forced to reply in notarial language, 
when my bilh were presented, " Can't pay for want of 
funds." So my mind is perforce made up, to go to 
Paris by the weary Marseilles route in this February \ 
thence to England, cold and wet as it must be in March^ 
and so back to New- York in April or May. 

I believe that lomter is as necessary to a northern 
nian as it is to a northern soil. We have had some 
weather here in January, during which the shade of a 



!f A P L E s . 177 

tree was sought for. The sirocco wind blows over from 
Africa and brings with it an enervating atnaosphere. 
A warm winter is like a dose of medicine, good for an 
occasion, but not as a habit. 

The lotteries here are got up by the King of the 
" Two Sicilies," who, it is said, orders prayers to be 
offered up to the Virgin that none of the purchasers of 
tickets may draw the capital prize. The people also 
pray to the " blessed Vargin," for success; and when 
they fail, call her all the bad women they can think 
of ,A funny country, trul}'. 

In Eome they roast coffee in the street; in Naples 
they stuff their beds. You will see great loads of straw 
in the street, and a number of men busily engaged in 
filling beds with it. This would be considered rather 
out of order in Broadway. 

The Carnival began on the 17th of January, but it 
has amounted to but little thus far. A few fellows, 
dressed grotesquely, stop before the hotels, singing, 
playing and dancing, until some coppers are thrown to 
them; but such performances are nearly always to be 
seen. The " Nobility" have given a series of balls ; 
and the King one or two on Sunday evenings; but all 
this does not make such a Carnival as you read or hear 
of Are all travellers liars, or are they not ? is an open 
question for debating societies. All I can say with 
regard to this common propensity is, that if I fall 
into the habit, it must be while entirely unconscious 
of it. 

The visible wickedness of Naples, I do not see much 
of, even with spectacles. "We have received too many 
of our accounts of continental licentiousness from 
Enghsh books and newspapers. If I had stopped a mo- 
ment for reflection, I should have decided, that as the 
English have published so many wilful falsehoods 
about America and the Americans, they must have 
treated in like manner other countries not under their 
control. Hereafter I shall receive all English accounts 
of foreign countries with much distrust. 



128 NAPLES. 

The post offices in Italy are not so perfect in theif 
management as with us. I saw one of the clerks pla- 
cing letters in the pigeonholes of the Naples post office, 
and wondered how long a dozen like him would require 
to assort one of the foreign mails arriving at New 
York. He lifted a letter from the table — on which were 
lying perhaps a dozen epistles — ^with both hands ; car- 
ried it slowly to the boxes, placed it carefully under one 
of the letters A or B perhaps ; paused and fell into a 
reverie. Then he would take out the letter, look at it 
again, and put it in another pigeon hole. This occurred 
several times. Thesecret of his trouble was that these 
were letters for foreigners and the names bothered him. 
Letters with Esquire upon them, have been often 
found under the letter E in Italian post offices. An 
English Baronet, stopping at my hotel, his letters being 

addressed to "Sir -, Bart.," has found 

his mail in pigeon hole B. They set him down as Mr. 
Bart. For two carUjias (fifteen cents) the post office 
clerks here will allow you to enter the office and exa- 
mine all the receptacles for your letters, v,hich they 
are themselves conscious of having wrongly assorted. 
All letters received here by the Marseilles steamers — 
that is, the American, English and French mail — are 
cut into with a sharp knife for the purpose of fumiga- 
tion, so as to repulse all contagious diseases, 

Maccaroni has always been considered one of the 
national dishes of the Italians, but it is not seen much 
oftener on the public tables here than it is in the New 
York hotels ; but when you get it here, it is not so 
dry, hard and indigestible. Maccaroni and meat are 
fed to the soldiers. , Maccaroni is the food of the poor 
peoplft. You may see it hanging up before the shop 
doors on poles, looKing like youthful tallow candles in 
process of dipping ; and not presenting a very inviting 
aspect. It may be good food enough for natives, but 
to strangers in general, it shows a desire to stop by the 
way. 

J hiave made a trial of the bygone far-famed Naples 



N A P E E S . 129 

shaving soap, which once upon a time was imported into 
America, and thought unequalled. It is a tolerably good 
shaving paste, though not equal, I thinlc, to the Phila- 
delphia shaving cream, sold by Chilson in Broadway, 
New York, a few doors above Duane street. If I find 
a better soap than that in France or England, I shall 
feel it a solemn duty to chronicle the fact ; for the 
man who is the cause of a pleasant sltave to one of his 
fellow creatures, has, in my opinion, performed a good 
action 

Many of the Italian priests look very like. Burton, 
the actor ; some resembling him in Aminidab Sleek ; 
others in the jolly Captain Cuttle. In the garden of the 
Villa lieale,iii'o\v days ago, I saw two priests in one of 
the more shaded and secluded walks, sitting upon the 
wall by the sea, with their legs dangling over the par- 
apet as if they were boys, and smoking segars. This 
jolly position, contrasted with their broad clerical hats 
ftnd serious gowns, was comical enough. 

Many of the monks and friars, with their shins bars 
find dirty, are disgusting objects of humanity. Some 
of them take upon themselves "vows of poverty," and 
serve heaven, as they pretend to think, by becoming 
squalid looking objects. No doubt hordes of these 
creatures would be still poorer and more wretched if 
left in their natural condition and out of the church ; 
hence all of the lazy fellows get in who find it possible. 
For their support, men as good are taxed severely; 
and rendered poor, savage and snllen. 

Superstition and the sword go hand in hand. This 
fair land of Italy in American or English hands, w^ould 
be a fruitful garden throughout It may be conquered 
some day by a superior people : let us hope that it will 
be by the Anglo-Saxon race. Italy, Spain, South 
America, overshadowed and enfeebled by a bhghting 
superstition, must, in the order of Nature, yield to 
nobler people. France might become infected also to 
the core and decline as fast, could religion, or supersti- 
tion, get control of such a shifting, changeful people. 



130 P .E S T U M . 

France, I take it, has got her proper government at 
last. But as for this abundant Italy, when will her 
quiet morning dawn ? 

I see the prickly ba3'^oucts here in all directions. More 
plentiful here than ever before. At every place, in 
every street they glitter and pierce the air. Largo 
companies of soldiers' continually pass through the 
town. Paris was full enough, but here are more. Even 
in England you see the regular in the streets and in 
the places of amusement. Let all discontented Amer- 
icans come to Europe and see how' it is governed. See 
how the monarchs fear their siibjects. 

"When the people of Europe again arise, they will 
remember that mercy to despots is cruelty to them- 
selves. Oti" with their heads! 

" You may travel through Russia and Austria, with 
ease;" said an Euglishnuin to me; "it would not bo 
pleasant to us." " They fear the Americans," exclaim- 
ed another. It is said that the Emperor of Russia 
advised Austria to compromise and settle the affair of 
Kozta (if that's his name); the Americans, said Ni- 
cholas, will come soon enough without being sent for. 

Tney are not afraid of our arms, but of our institu- 
tions. America rises like a great Sun before the eyes 
of the tyrants of Europe; and the one constant struggle 
of their lives, is to keep out the rays of light which she 
emits to all the earth. 

Notwithstanding I am verging towards a 4th of July 
oration, I believe I am writing the sedate and solenm 
truth. 

About sixty miles from Naples, beyond the hills that 
stretch from Vesuvius to the sea, stands Pccstuni, — or 
all that remains of it — three loneh^ temples in a desert. 
There are models of them in the museum here; and I 
have also seen engravings of them ; all of which make 
them appear, as they are, more perfect than the ruins of 
Rome. They are roofless, to be sure, but their hoary 
skeletons stand like great mastodons in the plain. They 
are alone ; no other vestiges of antiquity are seen. — 



PbZZUOLI. BAI^. 131 

Home lias encountered the ruthless destroyer, Man; 
these solitary temples the more gentle destroyer, Time. 
The rain, the sun and wind have fallen on them for 
centuries, yet there they stand almost as perfect as 
they were on the day when they came finished from 
the hands now turned to dust and ashes. 

Some accounts make these three temples 4000 years 
of age ; but I have all along been inclined to doubt this 
statement. I have conversed with a man of good judg' 
ment and good classical education, and he thinks them 
to have been built by the Greeks about 500 years before 
Christ. Their present condition and tlicir style of 
architecture seem to prove this. I should be pleased 
to see these relics, but it is doubtful if I do ; the journey 
requiring two days and being performed only a part of 
the way by railroad. 

On a day so warm and sunny as to deserve the name 
oihot to one clothed in winter garments, I Avent with 
a party to Fozzuoli^ Bai(B, &c., lying off to the right of 
Naples as you face the sea. We were prevented from 
going the nearest road, which runs through a tunnel 
in the hill, called the Grotto of Posillippo {a good place 
for an assassination), because the king was going down 
that way into the country to shoot the wild boar; — ■ 
which, by the by, eats well but digests horridly. 

Our road ran by the water for the chief part of the 
distance, until it turned up the side of a mountain, from 
which we got a good view of the Bay of Baise, which 
is smaller and handsomer than the Bay of Naples. 
The Romans liked this Bay ; and often anchored their 
fleets in it. Its banks were lined with ancient villas, of 
which there is now left but a few bricks lying level with 
the earth. Some of these dwellings were built partly 
in the water so as to receive the full coolness of the 
6ea. Cicero, Virgil and Horace used to frequent this 
Bay; and though the scene has now greatly changed 
eince their time, it was pleasant to think they had been 
here. It is really a beautiful little bay. Cape Misenum 
and an island or two are in view; and beyond a bold 



132 B A I .E . 

promontory, is seen the blue dome of Vesuvius. A 
JRoman fleet lay in this bay wlieu the eruptioii occurred 
which destroyed llerculaneura and Pompei. The elder 
Pliny, or Captain Pliny, sailed over to Vesuvius to 
witness the eruption and was strangled b}' the vapor. 
AVe saw behind us coming over a hill, a troop of 
cavalry which looked ver}' tine. It was the body giiard 
escorting the King of the Two Sicilies. (They say 
there is but one in the map.) Our carriage drew up to 
the side of the road, and wg got out, not only for the 
purpose of obtaining a good view of the monarch, but 
for the purpose of offering the usual civility due by 
strangers to the ruler of the country in which they are 
sojourning. The Bourbon has a quick eye and soon 
knew us for foreigners ; he is a polite man with all his 
faults ; and his hat was lifted simultaneously with ours. 
The guard mounted on beautiful black horses, dashed 
past and were soon out of sight. The King rode with 
two other persons in an open carriage, and drove very 
fast. He appeared a little frightened. 

'• Uneasy lies tlic lieatl that wears a crown." 

By the side of the road we saw the remnant of the 
Lucrine Lake. Here we got out again and went along 
a path through the lields to see Lake Avernus. The 
ground near us was covered by lizards who had come 
out to enjoy the sun ; and a man came forward to sell 
us bunches of fresh plucked violets, which gave us a 
delightful perfume. 

Lake Avernus is a pretty sheet of water. In America 
it would be called a pond. It is nearly circular ; and 
from the formation of its banks, it appears once to have 
been a volcanic crater. The whole region is volcanic. 
Monte Nuovo, which is near at hand, was heaved up in 
n single night in the sixteenth century by volcanic force. 
At one extremity of the Lake are the ruins of a Temple 
of Proserpine. Near the Lake is the cave of the Sibyl. 
I believe it is through this cave that Homer makes 
Ulysses descend into hell. All the party but mj-self 
■^vent in and were nearly strangled by the fumes of the 



pozzpoLi. 133 

torch that was carried before them. I don't like these 
holes in the ground. 

We went back to our carriage and stopped next at a 
cave in the side of the hill called the Hot Baths of Nero, 
The water down in this' cave is so hot, from the smoul- 
dering volcanic fire underneath, that eggs are boiled in 
it. 

There are two or three poor looking dwellings in 
Baiai, and a few scanty ruins, and that is all. 

The Temple of Mercury is round and vaulted. Here 
is a sort of echo with which people amuse themselves. 
The 'temple is filled in with dirt; the ancient floor being 
several feet under the present surface. 

There was a temple of Venus, a round, high edifice, 
much broken and mouldered. 

There were some other small remains ; but taken as 
a lot, we voted the ruins a humbug. 

Some women followed us with their distafis and flax, 
to see if they could not beg of us with success. There 
are very few laborers in Italy who will not leave their 
work to beg when they see a stranger approach. 

After extending our ride somewhat further, we turn- 
ed for Naples. Saw some galley slaves on the way, 
getting out stone. They each had one hand and one 
foot chained together, and were watched by soldiers. 
The galleys exist now only in name ; but slavery is not 
yet extinct. 

At Pozzuoli it was where St. Paul landed on his 
journey to Rome. We rode upon the ancient pavement 
over which he is said to have walked. Near this town 
is the temple of Serapis, part of which has been raised 
and depressed several times, into and out of the water, 
by volcanic forces. There is an old amphitheatre near 
Pozzuoli, much larger than the one at Pompei. Also 
a So/fatara^ or burning sulphur spring, situated in an 
extinct volcanic crater. We saw a cart-load of broken 
bricks on the hillside, which we were told were the re- 
mains of Cicero's villa. 

The grotto of Posillippo, begun by the ancients, has 

12 



134 " NAPLES. 

been enlarged until it is thirty or forty feet high and 
wide enough for two carriages to pass. It is half a mile 
long. It was quite dark in this hole in the ground, and 
our driver continually cracked his whip (a practice of 
Italian drivers) so as to give warning of his presence. 
How the numei'ous vehicles therein were kept from run- 
ning into each other, was and is a mystery to me. The 
rock from which the grotto or tunnel is cut, is a soft 
volcanic deposit. In a hill near Naples are ancient 
catacombs cut out of this stone ; and said to extend for 
ten miles underground. 

Over the entrance to the grotto nearest Naples, some 
sixty feet above the road, stands the tomb of Vii'gil. 
The urn which contained the ashes of his body, burned 
according to the Roman custom, has long since disap- 
peared. The monument built by his immortal mind, is 
yet visible in the world. 

As I have spoken of the warm weather we have 
been blessed with here ; I must also give you to un- 
derstand that this climate is somewhat feminine. Up 
the blue sky, with hardly a moment's notice, rapid 
showers will run and discharge upon you. It almost 
appears necessary for one here to imitate Paul Pry, or 
Fitz Green Halleck, and carry an umbrella all the while 
under his arm. Vesuvius, too, frequently poking his 
nose into the clouds, has been covered with snow. But 
the sun soon strips off his white over-coat. Blasts of 
wind, such as we Americans feel in March, have swept 
through the city. The other day I saw a poor little 
donkey, covered up with an immense load of straw upon 
his back, so that only a brown knob, supposed to be his 
nose, and a black streak, supposed to be his tail,were vi- 
sible. He was coming down a descent in the street, 
rather smoothly paved. Whenever blasts of wind struck 
his load of straw, he would stop suddenly and brace his 
feet, so as not to be tipped over upon his nose. The 
little ass had repeated use for his sagacity before reach- 
ing the foot of the hill. Truly it has been said, " Straws 
shew which way the wind blows." 



NAPLES. 135 

February lith. — To get to the Campo Santo, or 
Burial Ground, you are obliged to ride out a few miles 
from Naples over as good a McAdamized road as the 
sun ever shone upon. These European tyrants will 
have excellent roads, cost what it may. Crossing a 
square, surrounded by one hundred and two chapels, 
you descend some steps of stonein to the cemetery, or 
garden, for it looks more like a garden. Cypress and 
other green trees cut into fanciful forms, some bent over 
60 as to form verdant arches, are scattered through 
the grounds. The walks are bordered with myrtle, 
and the squares between ornamented with shrubbery. 
A good many persons are buried here, of the middle 
ranks of life, who could not afford tombstones ; and at 
the head of each grave is placed a neat black cross. 
Some of the tombs were in the forms of pyramids of 
stone or white marble ; others were columnar and of 
marble. I saw one ornamented with four hollow urns 
of open iron work, into which hghts were placed.^, at 
night. Some were shaped like temples ; and one 
in particular, an exact copy of the Temple of Ceres at 
Psestum, was well done. Over a number of the tombs 
were built chapels of considerable size, either of marble, 
dark stone, or covered with light yellow stucco. The 
floors were composed of a substance hke that of a num- 
ber of the shop floors in the Strada Toledo, and which 
looks precisely like painted china. In some of these 
chapels the bodies were buried in the side walls upon 
shelves and hermetically closed up ; in others the 
bodies Twere let down through square holes in the 
china floors and deposited in shelves in the vaults be- 
neath ; the square hole being closed by an iron plate. 
One of these chapel-tombs was three stories in height, 
and filled with little black crosses, signifying the num- 
ber of dead within. In the interior of some chapels a 
handsome lamp hung from the roof — and upon the 
summit without, a black cross was placed. 

You have a fine view from the cemetery — ^which is, on 
the whole, handsomer than Pere La Chaise at Paris. 



136 NAPLES. 

Vesuvius seems quite near, although., it is three hours 
off, I copy one of the inscriptions on the tombstone of 
a lady of rank, to show you how the Italians do these 
things : 

" Adantoinette Patornns Castelio, 
De Duchessi de Caracci, 
Bella Gelta Cyeutalo Religiosa, 
CrLielano Consorta Incousolabile, 
Mori Di Anno XXX, 

WDCCC-XLV." 

Afterwards I rode to the Campo Sa7ito for the poor 
people, where, in an unadorned enclosure, are three 
hundred and sixty-five pits in the ground, into which 
the destitute are cast naked. It is intended thot one 
of these pits shall be opened every day in the year for 
the reception of the dead bodies that may be brought 
there. As no person had been buried that day, I gave 
the custode fifteen cents to open one of the pits for me 
for the purpose of gratifying a horrid curiosity which 
all feel who come here, and who have heard the tales 
circulated respecting this Campo Santo. I hesitated 
for a moment and then looked in, but could see nothing 
but darkness. The guide said that he plainly saw hu- 
man bones lying in heaps. 

To get to the Catacombs, ^you are obliged to enter 
the Church of St. Januarius, from whence you get to 
the excavations by a side door. Here were places cut 
in the sides of the rock for the reception of the urns 
containing the ashes of the ancient dead. I saw some 
bones by the light of the lanterns, which may or may 
not be ancient bones, since the times when the Somans 
burned their dead. These catacombs, they tell us, ex- 
tend for ten miles under ground. They are waited up 
not many yards frrom the entrance, and the assertion 
cannot at present be disproved. 

Near the church of St. Januarius was a poor-house. 
Some of the paupers were sunning themselves in their 
blue overcoats, and Jooked very comfortable. There 
is another poor-house in Naples, so large and fine, that 
I had mistaken it for one of the King's palaces. The 
interior is said to be very neat and clean. "Whether 



NAPLES. 13T 

the paupers here are of ''noble" families, or not, I 
cannot say ; but the beggars in and about Naples, not 
admitted to the poor houses, are exceedingly numerous. 

I went into a room of the museum which I had pass- 
ed on my first visit. Here were rings, brooches, brace- 
lets, &c., taken from Pompei and Herculaneum. Some 
of the bracelets contained three pounds of gold. There 
were also artists' colors, spoons, figs, bread with the 
baker's stamp upon it, and other things that had lain 
for more than a thousand years under ground. 

There is a hill behind my hotel upon which stands, 
beside other edifices, a fortress called the Oastle of St. 
Elmo ; a monastery and a very beautiful church. From 
some of the windows of the monastery you get fine 
views of Naples, Vesuvius, the bay and the surround- 
ing country. From one balcony the city lies spread 
out beneath you like a map. This balcony led out 
from a small circular room, handsomely paved with 
marble of different colors. There was a small hole in 
the floor, to which the guide called my attention. A 
table w^as placed here, at which the monks could take 
their coffee and enjoy the "fine view," I asked him 
what these monks or.priests did. He replied "nothing." 
He said they were rich; had much land; and that the 
people were taxed for them. He told me that many 
of these priests were of the first families of the country j 
aristocratic, but poor. 

We passed through a room in the monastery, along 
the walls of which were ranged benches. Upon thera 
sat a number of monks, dressed all in white, with white 
hoods upon their heads, leaning forward and chanting. 
We went into one or two of the chapels and then into 
the main body of the little church. Small it is, but the 
most elegant room I ever saw. The floor was com- 
posed of marble of all colors, formed into a mosaic of 
large figures; the sides of the church were of mai'ble; 
and the altar, with its candlesticks, lamps and ornaments, 
was of the color of gold. The marble railing or fence 
before the altar was specially beautiful. It was of opeii 



138 NAPLES. 

work, of marble wreaths, flowers, &e., and tlie top rail of 
elaborate desig-u, was ornamented by agate and lapis 
lazuli. The ceiling was vaulted, and covered with pic- 
tures. This church, called Santa INIartiiio, is attached 
to the monastery of that name, and is the handsomest in 
Naples. I have seen others more gaudy, but none so 
chaste and beautiful as this. Feeling a curiosity to see 
the Tomb of Virgil, I climbed a hig-li hill, and was led 
to a sort of grotto in which stood a single slab. Upon 
this the aistode placed his hand and said "Virgilio." 
Humbug! nonsense! stutf! gammon! exclaimed I, and 
■walked ofl'. The custnde at first refused one carlina, 
but at last consented to receive it, as he saw he was 
not like to get more. Getting down the hill was no 
easy work. 

Punch and Judy perform here daily in the streets. 
There is a long upright box with a man in it, and at a 
window at the ton Punch and his wife hold their squeak- 
ing" colloquy , which sounds as if the words came through 
a penny whistle. They always get into a quarrel, as a 
matter of course, and knock their wooden heads togeth- 
er. The man concealed in the box, shews great skill 
in the management of his puppets; but the language in 
which he makes them speak, is unknown to me. How 
easy it is to comprehend the London showman. " This, 
ladies and gentlemen, is Daniel in the Lion's Den. St. 
Peter is seen at a knot hole in one side, encouragin' his 
friend Daniel to hold up. At the top voii may diskiver 
Mr. Melchisadek, Mrs. Melchisadek and the little Mel- 
ehisadeks, a enjoy in of his vo. Daniel carries a green 
umbrella under his arm to distinguish him from the lion. 
Besides, ladies ami gentlemen, you will observe that 
Daniel combs his hair to the right, while the lion's is 
combed to the left." 

And to see how kindly the same shown:ian answers 
the inquisitive httle girls who are looking at his Battle 
of Waterloo. ''Which is the Duke of AVellington, 
and which is Napoleon Bonaparte?" " Vichever ye 
pleases, my little deurs ; ye pays yer money and ye has 
your choice!" 



NAPLES. 139 

To think of comparing Florence with Naples! You 
might as well compare Perth Amboy with New York. 
This pubhc garden walk, with its fountains, green trees 
and grass, its snow-white temples and splendid sea view^ 
is not excelled in any part of the w^orld. Besides the 
groups of statuary by the fountains, the Dying Gladia- 
tor, copied from that of Rome, and olher single statues 
are scattered through the grounds. All here agree 
that Naples is the pleasantest city in Italy. Those who 
hke Florence best, are at liberty to do so. " They pays 
their money, and they lias their choice." 

So near Africa and yet no negroes. I have not seen 
a "gentleman or lady of color," s-ince I came to Europe. 
They prefer, or have- preferred, to emigrate to Cuba; 
to which country they become very much attached. 

The beggars in Naples are a persevering race. They 
will follow you for a longdistance, begging in the most 
doleful tones, and after having bid them vial via! (away, 
away) in your most energetic manner, they will imitate 
your voice and gesture, and leave you for the next 
passenger. Their ragged dresses are curiosities. 
Where so mtmy colored rags can be found, is a mystery. 
Women, all in tatters, will cross you in the street, and 
mock yon if you refuse their request. With some of 
these people, beggary is a trade ; with others it is a hard 
necessity. To discriminate, is impossible; to give to 
all would require Rothschild's fortune. 

The King has at last removed the quarantine. I 
presume the French and Enghsh compelled him to do 
so. It has been rumored that he intends to pardon all 
political prisoners. la a castle which juts out into the 
bay, there are dungeons under the water in which are 
languishing at this moment many unfortunate wretches 
who are inimical to the King, or who had the hardihood 
to rise against his tyranny. If these men perish in their 
dungeons, I hope the King of the Two Sicilies will be 
haunted by their ghosts. 

The King has several regiments of Swiss in his pay, 
on whom he is said to place more dependQjoce than oa 



140 NAPLES. 

his hrave Italians. They are dressed either with red 
coats — hke the British, or in white, hke the Austrian 
regiments at Florence. The dress of the Italian soldiers 
here is very like that of the French. Red pantaloons, 
and gray overcoats, puckered at the small of the back, 
are in vogue. 

There are several representations in wood of Christ 
upon the cross, set up in different parts of the city. 
Lamps are placed around these images and are some- 
times lighted at night. The lower orders of people 
sometimes stop before these figures and either pray or 
cross themselves. 

The boot-blacks also have their stands about the 
streets, and the operation of boot polishing is always 
going on. These fellows are always looking down at 
your boots and soliciting your custom. 

There are many fine horses in Naples. Most of them 
.are black. But the horses "to let," are about on a par 
with those of England, France and America, also to let; 
and the drivers are obliged to hold them up "werry 
hard," as Mr. Pickwick's driver did his horse, to keep 
them from falling down. 

I have been struck with the difference between 
European and American " first class hotel" keepers. 
Here, they touch their hats, or take them off", whenever 
they meet you. They thank you for your custom when 
you are about to leave; and hope to see you again. The 
landlord or landlady, or both, come out to the carriage 
and wish you '•'•boyi voyage?'' Now in America, it 
is the hotel keeper who does you the favor in allowing 
you to stop at his house. You may find him regardless 
of your entrance, reading Godey's Lady's Book, or a 
red morocco annual ; sitting on two chairs with a fra- 
grant cigar in the corner of his mouth. In her draw- 
ing room up stairs is the landladj^, with diamond rings 
upon her fingers, languishing over a novel ; or perhaps 
sitting upon a satin ottoman and tickling the baby's 
chin with a ten dollar bill. Do either of these bid you 
farewell at your depaiiure ? Lucky if you get an Irish 
porter to briug down your baggage. 



NAPLES. 141 

"Let independence be our boast." 

We in America knuckle like other people to the 
shadow of power. We show our tavern keepers de- 
ference, because they Uve in large houses and are cap- 
tains of companies of black or white waiters and dirty 
scrubbing- girls. 

Along one of the quays of Naples are stationed the 
oyster sellers. They keep their oysters in the shell and 
in pails of cold water ; and serve them raw to the con- 
sumer. Some of the Englishmen think these oysters 
very -good. But what can an Englishm.an know of an 
oyster ? Let any foreigner eat of the little copper 
bearded oyster of England for a few months, then die 
and be dissected, and in him will be found a copper 
saucepan, pex'haps. 

Many of the English are here for aflections of the 
lungs, or other disorders. It is worth your while to 
see them eat. After fish and soup, four or five kinds of 
meat carved into slices are handed round to the guests 
at the table cVhote^ of all of which the sick Englishman 
is sure to partake. Then come the " sweets," as they 
are called — some sweetened flour or dough, a sort of 
dry pudding. Fies are unknown. Then half a dozen 
varieties of fruit, which the invalid Englishmen " walk 
into;" moistening their dinner with a decanter full of 
the gratis red wine. These men come to Italy and 
live thus, for their healthy by advice of some bottle- 
nosed London physician whose face is streaked with 
port, ale and sherry. 

My English acquaintances ask me often whether 
America would aid England if Europe were to com- 
bine against her. I answer yes, but I do not add that 
America would first like to see England well pummelled 
before coming to her assistance. The fact is, English' 
men are conscious that their country has passed the 
pinnacle and is going down the other side of the moun- 
tain. She must follow the forced example of all other 
nations and yield to a law of Nature. The sturdy 
English after having abused and slandered America^ 



142 NAPLES. 

are throwing out feelers ia their newspapers — actually 
begging for aid, which they soon look to require. Ire- 
land is restive and dissatisfied ; the colonies are writh- 
ing under the abuses and neglect of the mother country. 
And what would England be without her colonies ? 
She is weak enough at home, tor I have heard intelli- 
gent Englishmen assert that there is nothing to pre- 
vent a Fx'ench invasion, whenever Louis Napoleon shall 
determine on it. 

How the English and French pull together in the 
war in the East, we can only learn through the English 
papers, or through '' Galignani" of Paris. If there are 
newspapers here, no one sees them, or anything from 
them. You, therefore, hear in America ot what trans- 
pires in the East, quite as soon as we do in Naples. 

I have been among the "bulls" and "bears" of 
Naples. Their " Bourse" or Exchange is not a very 
large room. About one hundred and fifty speculators 
were there congregated, talking in little knots just as 
we see them in Wall street. At the end of the room 
sat two men at a table, who were occupied in the count- 
ing of " hard money" which was used for the payment 
of " diiferences." I do not know if the Neapolitans 
have any stocks of their own to speculate in ; but I be- 
lieve they often operate in the French and other funds. 
Just now, there is a panic on account of the prospects 
of the war, and the "bears" have it all their own way. 

There is a girl who carries a basket of flowers in the 
streets ; and who makes a dart at you as you pass her, 
for the purpose of placing some of them in your button 
holes ; and if she succeeds, you cannot be so ungallant 
as not to offer her some copper coin. At Florence, there 
were several of thes'e girls, one of whom was quite a 
dignified looking damsel. 

Occasionally before the doors of some of the digni- 
taries, or before the dwellings of some who wish to 
attract attention, you may sea a man dressed in a cocked 
hat, embroidered coat, and knee-buckles, holding a staff 
of office in his hand and appearing very like a turkey 



NAPLES. 143 

cock. The studied attitude of some of these flunkies, 
who seem to think that they themselves are got up at 
" enormous expense," are quite amusing. 

Crusty old bachelors and disappointed married men, 
often complain of the clatter of women's tongues. Tho 
same charge can be laid to the feet of many of the lower 
order of females in Naples, who wear wooden soled 
slippers with nothing behind to confine the heel, so that 
they go rattling over the pavement with a noise not very 
agreeable to a nervous person. 

We have just had another "cold snap," the coldest 
yet; being a pretty fair specimen of February weather 
without snow. But on Vesuvius and the hills beyond 
— which I believe are a spur of the Appenines, — there 
has been considerable snow. Yet on the whole, I can- 
not help comparing this climate to a sherry cobbler ; 
very pleasant, but very weakening. Sultry days do so 
limber one's legs. 

In Naples, as in Eome, many of the shopkeepers ask 
more than they intend to take for their goods, so as to 
provide against the custom of *' beating down." Very 
often they will take half the asking price, if they see 
you about to move off without shovv'ing a desire to pur- 
chase. 

I have seen no paper money sin<:;e I came to Europe. 
The Aar<^ currency is in general use. It is very hard 
for the great mass here to get any of it. Although 
the climate disposes one to laziness, and the producer 
is devoured by taxes, many a man in Italy would leave 
begging for work if he could get it. Happy Americans ! 
you are ignorant of the blessings that have been shower- 
ed upon you. 

The mark by which the late revolutionists knew each 
other, was a beard of a peculiar shape. The Neapoli- 
tans are now forbidden to wear beards. They sport 
the mousta<:he; and less resemble baboons than do the 
people of other parts of Italy. 

The King gave a ball on the 13th, at which the gentle- 
men all appeared, by command, in knee-breeches and 



144 NAPLES. 

silk stockings. He is to have a fancy dress, or masquer- 
ade ball, next week. The average cost of the dresses 
is about $50. Better give the money to the starving 
poor. It would amount to a handsome sum. Some 
silly Americans and Englishmen attend these balls. 

In the country around Naples, a Jir tree with its top 
shaped like an umbrella, is quite common. At a dis- 
tance, it somewhat resembles the palm, and adds a 
striking feature to the landscape. These trees also 
grow near Home. 

The Island of Capri, situated just where the Bay of 
Naples joins the sea, is about six miles long and three 
broad. It contains between one and two thousand in- 
habitants. Vineyards are common, for here the Capri 
wine is made. On the Island resides a son of the Hon. 
Mrs. Norton, the English poetess. He fell in love with 
a peasant girl ; poor, lively and pretty; and he became 
so " far gone" as to turn Roman Catholic and marry her. 
He lives in a humble way. 

I have been to two of the Theatres. The " Teatro 
Nuovo" is of a moderate size and quite plain. The 
fronts of the boxes are of a cream color and without 
ornament. A soldier with a fixed bayonet stood beside 
the door. The box-keeper followed us to get pay for 
the " cushion," or seat. First you pay for your ticket; 
then the box-keeper must have his perquisites. A small 
comic opera was performed. The singei^s also were 
small ; that is, they were not great. My companion 
was an English clergyman ; who unlike some of our 
divines does not believe a well conducted theatre to be 
the portico to H. R. H. Beelzebub's palace. 

The San Carlo is said here to be the largest theatre 
in the world. If is attached to one of the King's palaces 
in the heart of the city; the palace at which the mon- 
arch is now residing. An armed soldier stood before 
the door, and two or three more inside. The house 
looks plain outside. Inside it is large, but not tremen- 
dous. Their are six tiers of boxes, but they are nearer 
together than ours. The boxes are small and are se- 



MOUNT VESUVIUS. 145 

f)arated from each, other by close partitions so that the 
adies cannot be seen by all the house — which I presume 
they don't like. The fronts of the boxes are tastefully 
gilded and are not gaudy. Tlie King's box rises up 
through two tiers. It is ornamented by gilded curtains, 
surmounted by one or two large gilt crowns and a cross. 
Upon the ceiling is a large painting, representing a 
scene in the life of Christ. A handsome chandelier de- 
pends from it. There is no picture on the drop curtain, 
which is figured like paper hangings. The seats in the 
pit are divided so that you can rest your arm and not 
be crowded. There are four places where you can put 
your feet : on the floor, on two shelves made for the 
purpose, or on the dresses of those before you. The 
latter would be preferred by some of our theatre goers. 
The prices are about the same as at the American 
theatres. The performances were mediocre. All the 
theatres are open on Sundays. 

You will observe that my letters are getting miscel- 
laneous; which is a sign that I have but little more to say 
about Naples. An account of my getting up Mount 
Vesuvius is crowded out of this epistle. It shall come in 
my first letter from the Grand Empire of the Frogs. 

On the 18th if the weather is favorable, I design to 
sail for Marseilles. If so, I may hope to reach Paris 
about the 26th inst. If I find no more entertainment 
in Paris than I did in my first visit, I shall remain there 
but a few days. 

Feb. 17 th — Ascent of Mount Vesuviu?, — I have 
determined in my own mind that none but fools, robbers 
and goats, ascend mountains. I have been up Vesu- 
vius. Please place me under the letter F in the first 
class. 

I hired a one-horse waggon, with an extra horse 
hitched in some queer manner by the side of the other, 
both of them wearing little bells upon their harness in 
the Italian style. I also engaged a guide who could 
speak a very little English, and whose breath was so 
consolidated from garlic eating, that it came out of his 

13 



146 MOUNT VESUVIUS. 

mouth in pegs ; and T felt an incliaation to hang my 
cap upon it. Had I done so, as he was quite small in 
person, he might have supposed that I wished to ex- 
tinguish him, and give me the taste of a knife, after the 
custom of the country. The little man had a large 
cold and carried three pocket handkerchiefs ; one white, 
in an outside breast pocket, for show ; and two colored 
ones ; one of which he always held in his hand when 
not engaged in taking snuff. 
So with a perfume not like 

" Sabnean odors from the spicy shores 
Of Arabj' the blest," 

floating around me, I set off at half-past eight in the 
morning. The usual method of going to Vesuvius, is 
to take a carriage to Resina; there mount ponies and 
ride several miles to the foot of the cone. As I am no 
equestrian, I determined to have my carriage go all the 
way to the Hemnitage. 

Vesuvius was in sight all the way. In fact you al- 
ways see him from every quarter. His back ground 
was now a beautiful blue sky. The white smoke curled 
and wreathed about his hoary head like gray hair lifted 
by the wind. 

Vesuvius appears, at a distance, like a double-headed 
mountain ; but, on a near approach, the mountain to 
the left resolves itself into a cluster of hills, among which 
the road has been cut in the volcanic mud-ashes or sand. 
The cuttings presented layers thrown out at different 
belchings of the distant volcano. A geologist might 
have descried in the disordered strata, " layers," " faults" 
and "dikes." 

From this elevated, winding road, a beautiful view 
of the world below,was enjoyed. The bay was like an 
enormous sheet of polished steel ; and at one end of it 
Naples and its white villages formed a bright cresented 
border. Behind the city, the open country stretched far 
away, spotted with white houses. The hills on my left 
were capped with snow and sent cool breezes to temper 
the hot sun. 



MOrNT VESUVIUS. 147 

"We passed some vineyards, separated from the road 
by stone walls, built of fragments of lava ; some of 
which had been ejected, or had run down in a liquid 
state, eight or ten miles from the crater. As we ap- 
proached still nearer, whole fields of rough and broken 
lava were seen. 

The road of sand and ashes was heavy for the horses; 
and before reaching the Hermitage, our extra horse 
baulked and gave out. The guide and myself walked 
about a mile, to the Hermitage, which is an old white 
stuccoed building, with a church room attached to it, 
and is inhabited by a single monk. There is an observa- 
tory for astronomical purposes near the Hermitage; and 
beyond them there are no other buildings. 

We now had a walk of two miles before us, over a 
rough path leading through the debris of lava and 
fields of sandy ashes. Just before reaching the foot of 
the cone, we saw to our left a precipice of volcanic earth 
and lava, about thirty feet high running along the bor- 
der of a level which extends round part of the present 
volcano. This was once the crater; and from it, as 
the guide informed me, Herculaneumand Pompei were 
destroyed. 

The hard lava around us having been thrown out in 
a liquid state, was twisted into various forms, present- 
ing a disagreeable surface to walk upon. 

The government guide or " servatore,'''' who is oblig- 
ed to go up with all strangers, to prevent robbery and 
murder had followed us from Eesina ; and three or 
four men came after us from the Hermitage. These last 
were those who assist, or carry those that desire it, up 
the cone. 

There are three methods of going up ; first, if you 
have a quick eye, a vigorous frame, and have been 
used to climbing hills, you may take a staff in your hand 
and get up in an hour ; second, you may be pulled and 
pushed up by four men with ropes or straps; third, you 
may ride up in a chair fastened to poles and carried on 
the shoulders of four men. The latter method is fallen 



148 MOUNT VESUVIUS. 

into by the ladies, and all fat or lazy men. I had been 
advised not to try the first plan, but I did and failed. 
I was told to walk in tho sandy ashes into which I 
sank at every step. The men followed me with a chair, 
and kept saying in their poor English " You are very 
much fatigue; get in." But on I went, stafi in 
hand, the perspiration running dow^n my ears, and 
making a water-fall — nearly as large as those of 
Europe — from the bridge of my nose. The cool wind 
came down from the mountain and I buttoned 
my overcoat. The internal heat under my flannel 
threathened an eruption, and I unbuttoned it. I sat 
down and rested ; got up and went on. Looked up 
at the steep ascent, and found, at the end of fifteen or 
twenty minutes, that I had made but little impression 
on it. There was a great deposit of rough lava to 
cross. " Better," said my private guide, " give four 
dollars for de chair than fifty dollars for cle medicine." 
This was coming " home to our business and bosoms." 
When nearly used up, the men fell to three dollars for 
the chair. I got in, was lifted on their shoulders, and 
the procession moved on. My body described an 
acute angle, as my back and sides could testify. Veiy 
acute. My legs pointed threateningly to the sky like 
a pair of three-pounders,, as if from the side of Vesu- 
vius — one of the chimneys of hell — a new war was to 
be waged against the heathen gods. The angle now 
grew more acute. " Stop ! wait ! hold on ! let me 
out 1 " but they w^ould'nt ; so I let myself down be- 
tween the poles. 

I began to think that I should not see the crater, 
but the other plan was now adopted.' Two straps 
were fastened to a stick about five feet long, and two 
men in front drew them over their shoulders. I took 
hold of the stick with both hands, two men pushing me 
behind, at the imminent risk of the pride of my trows- 
ers. They soon abandoned what General Scott would 
call the "fire in the rear," and attacked my wings; 
that iSj they pushed me by the arms. We now turued 



MOUNT VESUVIUS. 149 

off among the rocks of lava. I verily believe I had 
been made to walk in the ashes so as to tire me out. 
Even now the labor was great. I have endured 
nothing like it for twenty-five years. The perspira- 
tion oozed, boiled and bubbled. I sat down several 
times to rest, as did the men. A man had followed 
us with a basket of refreshments. The orange here 
was delicious. Get red hot and try one. At a quar- 
ter-past one we reached the top. 

I saw before me an old crater, nearly filled in, 
and -surrounded by low hills. Forty or fifty heaps 
were smoking like lime kilns. Near one of them sat 
a party of travellers discussing their provisions. "We 
passed through this crater and ascended to the brink 
of the last volcano, in eruption four years ago. Its 
rim is higher upon the further side than from whence 
you get your first view of it. I looked in and saw 
the smoke issuing from many places in the sides of 
the crater, as if there were smouldering fires beneath. 
Smoke also issues from the top of the rim, in spots, and 
from the outside. None seems to come from the bot- 
tom of the crater, one hundred feet or more below; which, 
they say, is closed up. The shell of the cone is 
probably hollow, or the earth very porous. In some 
of the smouldering places the heat is so great that they 
roast eggs there. Some persons think that this heat, and 
in fact all the smoke in and about the crater, is caused 
by the amalgamation of the mineral deposits thrown up 
from below. This is doubtful. You may descend 
part of the way down the cone, but I think it is a 
silly experiment even with a guide. Some wish to 
bring away pieces of the yellow sulphur coated stone 
spread about the crater, I sent a man for a piece, 
which is worth just as much as if I had risked strangu- 
lation or an everlasting fall to get it with my own 
hands. 

I have been told that when the wind is favorable 
and the smoke is blown aside, it is quite a pretty 
sight to see the various colored deposites, red, yellow, ' 
blue, Soc, which line parts of the crater. 

13* 



150 MOUNT VESUVIUS 

The crater is, perhaps, two hundred and fifty yards 
across. Some assert its diameter to be five hundred 
yards. It is all a guess. The thing itself, when you 
come to know that it is stopped up below, is not so 
very awful to the thought, even if the bottom is not 
visible. It may be worth the physical exertion neces- 
sary to see it, but I shall not try it again. 

Two persons, one an American, were killed here 
four years ago while witnessing an erujDtion; and others 
have lost their lives at difi"erent times by the falling 
stones. 

I turned to go across the old crater, by the way we 
had entered, and so make the descent — or go " down 
stairs"' — as my little guide phrased it in his imperfect 
English. Met some ladies who had been brought up 
in chairs, accompanied by some gentlemen. It would 
be dangerous to go down over the broken lava ; so you 
are taken to a layer of ashes near by, and go down 
on your heels in about ten minutes — a sort of slide — 
the ashes up to your ancles. Sometimes your foot 
touches a concealed fragment of lava, and you are apt 
to fall headlong ; but there is generally no harm done 
as you are received on the sandy ashes. I had worn 
an old pair of boots for the occasion, which were torn 
front and rear and became yellow like sulphur. When 
they were shown to mo nest morning, 

" Sure such a pair wers never seen." 

They had soles to be saved, but I do not speak solely 
on that account ; for esteeming thfem as we do men, by 
their worth, they were not worth much. It were a 
bootless -task to grieve over them. 

After leaving the foot of the cone, I met a lady on a 
pon}'" ; and after Her, on another pony,a fat English- 
man.- They had to " chair" that " honorable member," 
I'll be bound. 

As the half of our road home was down hill, and the 
rest of it over well paved streets, driver, to earn his 
" bono mano," extra money, for being a "good man" 
and giving satisfaction — drove very fast and put the 



NAPLES. 151 

people in danger. Turning a slaoi't corner — and these 
waggons have forward wheels so small that they pass 
■under the vehicle — he ran against a poor little ass. I 
used energetic language, but he did not understand it. 
These poor donkies, with their winking e3'es, appear 
half asleep ; they pound them and kick them, cruelly; 
and all the while they seem to say, like Sterne's ass, 
" Don't beat me ; but if you will you may." 

There was a procession of friars or monks going to a 
funeral. They were all in white, their faces being 
covered also with white cloth, with two black holes for 
their eyes. They looked ghostly enough, but the driver 
puslied his team hard on their flanks. As we passed 
the door of a hotel, a carriage coming out of the court- 
3^ard. nearly ran its pole into us. My little guide, box 
and handkerchief in hand was "up to snuff "and ducked 
his head to avoid the blow. 

Two days afterwards, I engaged the same little man 
with his viacaboy and pocket handkerchiefs, to accom- 
pany me on another volcanic excursion, to the Solfatara 
on the other side of Naples. The weather was pleasant. 
You may guess at it when I tell you that as I came out 
of the hotel a new comer was ordering a musquito net 
to be put on his bed. We passed through the grotto 
of Posillippo ; and I asked the guide if it was not very 
old. " 0, yes ; very old. One thousand, fifteen hun- 
dred, two hundred years." Our road now ran through 
vineyards for two or three miles until we reached the 
classic bay of Baise, upon v^'hich the sun cast a silver 
path that went throbbing a|t our side. Upon our right 
was a lava mountain. Convicts were here quarrying the 
lava to be sent to Naples for building material. They 
were distinguished by different dresses One man had 
struck a knife into another but not killed him. Another, 
who came near us, holding up his chain in one hand, 
and stepping out as loftily as if he were free and un- 
shackled, had killed a man and was here for a long 
term of years I asked if murderers were not hung. 
*' Only when they kill tree men ; then they shoot him 
or cut off de head." 



152 NAPLES, 

Observing my guide turn in his seat and look at a 
country girl who was sitting on a low stone wall, I ask- 
ed him if he was married. He replied "Yes," and 
returned the question to me. I said "No." "Ah," 
said he, "dat is best ; you better stay as you be." This 
advice from my snuffy little companion was not to be 
sneezed at. He has had experience; he has been 
scratched by the rough corners of matrimony. 

We passed some men working in their green gardens, 
here, in the month of February. 

After riding through the outskirts of Pozzuoli, I 
asked the guide where that music was that I heard. 
He replied that it was the bell of the church calHng the 
people to "mess" (mass.) This "sweet bell" was not 
"jangled out of tune and harsh." 

We came to a gate where fifteen cents were to be 
paid. This admitted us to a circular crater of antiqui- 
ty, much larger than Vesuvius, and surrounded by hills 
fifty feet high. This crater like others had stopped it- 
self up, and trees and grass grew on its floor. Horses 
were grazing freely where there had been mighty con- 
vulsions of Nature. A boy who had come in with us, 
lifted a stone and threw it on the ground, which gave 
back a hollow sound. Underneath ran the stream of 
hot water which came from the spring. The Solfatara 
was at one side of the crater and blew off its steam 
with precisely the same sound as does a North Eiver 
steam-boat. We descended a few steps and looked into 
the chasm. The vapor came out with considerable 
force ; and the rocks above were colored with the yel- 
lowest of sulphur. The stones near the chasm were 
quite hot. The odor emitted by the spring, was power- 
ful. Here on a small scale, was a living volcano, com- 
municating, most likely, direct with the infernal regions. 

On our return to the carriage, the guide pointed out 
a wall of thin ancient brick, and stones six inches by 
three, now surrounding a vineyard. This was a Eoman 
reservoir. Its mason work if described by Byron, 
would appear very beautiful, no doubt; but it can no 



THE MEDITERRANEAN. 153 

more compare with that of the Croton Reservoir, than 
the King of the Two Sicilies can compare with G-eorge 
Washington. 

Feb. i8th, 5 p. m. — On board the "vapore" ship 
"Vesuvio," of "300 Cavalh; (horses) Commandante, 
Pietro Cusmano." 

Off at last. A police officer has just checked off the 

passengers, styling me "Signer Stranger h^om. 

Etats r7?m;" which is more like French than Italian. 

Our agent, Robert Dale Owen, has made no charge 
for my passport (though the police have) ; and I must 
in justice add, that our man at Rome was equally liberal. 
It is unusual to see American representatives abroad 
doing something for nothing. 

Vesuvius has covered his head with clouds ; but I 
have no doubt the crater is smoking out of one side of 
his mouth, hke a Bowery boy, with an air which seems 
to say — If you want anything, I'm your chap. 

The crescent-shaped Naples sinks into the sea as we 
pass Cape Misenum and run between Capri and the 
main land. Now we feel the wind ; now the little 
narrow vessel rolls ; and now, because not more than 
half the passengers can eat, they prepare the dinner 
table. Five of us, out of perhaps fifteen, ate a little, 
but it went "against the grain," 

"Once more upon the waters, yet once more; 
And the waves bound beneatli me as a steed 
That knows its rider." 

And is determined to rile him if he can't shake him 
off. And I am riled. Sea-sickness has squatted on a 
quarter section of my body. Will he yet cover the 
whole township ? 

" I'm on the Sea, I'm on the sea ! 

I am as I would ever be, 

With the blue above and the bhic below." 

That fellow was blue above and blue below. 
Thoroughly drunk, I should say. 

A very small cabin, with benches or bunks. Laid 
down in my boots and overcoat, it being cold. Pans 
were placed near us, and one or two gentlemen went 



154 THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

to work under the influence of sea-sickness. As every 
thing could be seen and heard, this was not pleasant. — 
The "Vesuvio" rolled and pitched ; the waves hammered 
against her sides, but she was of English manufacture, 
though owned by Neapolitans, and I had confidence. 
The sick passengers enlivened the time; I could not 
sleep ; and the night was long and miserable. 

\9th. — At half past 9 in the morning we put into 
Civita Vecchia, the only port at which we were to 
touch. One of my countrymen a baker of pies and 
cakes in New- York, left us here on his way to Rome. — 
He had traveled in the East with the "gentleman from 
Ishp," (of whom I have previously spoken) and Mr. 
Prime of the "New- York Observer." He thinks 
Egypt, Syria and Turkey — more especially dirty Con- 
stantinople — quite a "sell." Whether he has been to 
the East to establish agencies for his "pies and things," 
I did not ask. 

In about two hours we put off to sea again in the face 
of the gale. Breakfast was another failure. I did not 
ask the steward for bread and get a stone ; but I asked 
him for an apple and he gave me aqua (water.) I then 
made a ring with my fingers and said "apple — fruit." 
This got through his Italian skull. 

The deck was wet with rain, and I rolled myself in 
my travelling shawl and lay in the saloon. 

Afteimoon. — The sun is out. ^ The shore of Italy is 
on our right ; the Italian Captains in these parts al- 
ways hugging the land. A small vessel is sailing close 
in shore. She is directly opposite the sun, and her sails 
shine like silver. To our left were two small islands. 
The wind now rose before us with a black cloud. It 
screamed in the rigging, sounding like the cry of 
the tempest in a bare winter forest. As the blast 
flew past it tossed white feathers to the waves, and they 
rose and stirred their heads like proud women. The 
epray whirled along the vessel's sides, like dust from 
the hoofs of the wild Arab steed ; and large pattering 
drops fell from the dark cloud like tears upon us. 



MARSEILLES. 155 

1 must let myself down ; so will only remark, in con- 
tinuation, that it was " darned" disagreeable. 

Dinner at six. No go. Turned in to roll, roll, roll. 
Ship trying to dip water, 

" Rocked in the cradle of the deep," 

Though men are but children of a larger growth, 
some of them do not like such gigantic nursing. 

2^th. — Morning. Sun elbowing his way through 
hills of clouds behind us ; the shore of Italy on our 
right ; the sky clear before us and adorned by half of 
a tin moon. 

I have not yet given in to sickness and feel that I shall 
not. Reason — took medicine before leaving Naples, 
and put my stomach on "a footing with themostfavor- 
ed nations." 

As breakfast is at ten, I asked the steward for a 
cup of coffee. I drew on his stock of English, but he 
was able to meet the demand, and said " by, by." 

After a trifling breakfast we ran between the coast of 
France and some small islands, names unknown. When 
out of the shield of these islands, the gale once more 
attacked us, fiercer than ever. Some of the waves 
leaped from the sea; others butted their heads against 
our little ship and covered the decks with water. More 
islands ahead to our left; while on our right rose a wall 
of white perpendicular cliflFs. I could now " define my 
position ;" we were nearing Marseilles. The wind 
blew so stifBy that I could hardly stand upright. The 
" Vesuvio," lying on one side, cut her way through the 
white caps, straight as an Indian's arrow to a penny in 
a split stick; and at five P. M., the anchor whizzed 
into the water and held us fast in the harbor of Mar- 
seilles. 

A custom house officer came on board ; I opened a 
carpet bag ; he thrust in his hand for a moment ; told 
me to lock it up, asking or expecting no bribe. A tall 
good looking fellow he was, with those immense red 
French trowsers. 

I went down into a boat with others and was rowed 



156 MARSEILLES. 

to shore. Here I again opened my " sack," as the 
French call it, but was immediately let go on saying 
that I had no tobacco. I went to my old quarters at 
the Hotel des Emjicrenrs; shaved and washed my face, 
which had not been washed in three days, because there 
was no place appropriated for that purpose on the boat. 
But tiiat was nothing, for the Italian ladies never wash 
their faces for fear of spoiling their complexions. They 
'icipe away the dust. 

Marseilles, Feb. 21. — "Went to the custom house for 
the rest of my baggnge, and was very civilly treated to 
a shght examination. 

This town is so very diflerent from the Italian cities. 
It has a solid business like air, aud a harbor crowded 
with ships from all parts of the world. The people 
appear more energetic and not so lazy and listless. 

The shuttlecock steamboats on the Ehone and SaoHO 
cannot navigate these rivers on account of the low 
water now prevailing; so that I must travel night and 
day by diligence and railway to get to Paris.* I intend 
to make two bites of a cherry, and stop a day at Lyons, 
I have taken a place in the diligence to leave in the 
afternoon of the 23d inst. 

February •2od. — Three days in Marseilles and not a 
single beggar. Prosperous Marseilles ! 

The Paris diligence is a large vehicle and carries 
eighteen persons. The vehicle is divided into three 
rooms in the interior and has seats on the top. The bag- 
gage is also placed on the roof, and w^ould render the 
carriage liable to upset, unless the roads were very level 
and hard. Two Germans were in the front apartment, 
or coupe, with -me. One of them spoke several lan- 
guages. The Germans and Russians are famous 
throughout Europe for the ease with which they ac- 
quire other languages ; the reason for which is said to 
be that after they have mastered their own slabbering, 
jaw-cracking languages, the}^ are competent to master 

* Duo of the rivers wat navigabi* at this time. 



AVIGNON. LYONS. 157 

any other language on the face of the earth. The dili- 
gence drove up to the railway and drew up under a ma- 
chine very like a gallows. Here our vehicle was hoisted 
off its wheels, placed on railway wheels and attached to 
the train. At four P. M., we started, passing through a 
tunnel, which we estimated to be four miles in length, 
it requiring seven minutes at the usual rate of speed to 
get through. As we w^ent on we caught glimpses of 
the Mediterranean, upon the banks of which were 
growing numerous orchards of olive trees. The wind 
was still fierce, and rattled the windows of the cars 
furiously. 

" Blow winds and crack your cheeks, 
I'm in a railroad car." 

We reached Avignon at half past eight o'clock. 
Here we were again lifted off our wheels and placed on 
those lit for the road. "We had five horses ; three 
leaders abreast, and two wheel horses. The road was 
broad, smooth and McAdamized; and the horses large, 
strong and steady, and frequently changed. Morning 
came at last, cold and windy. We passed two mount- 
ed gendarmes escorting a prisoner in a close carriage. 
They looked like general officers, with their cocked 
hats and long military cloaks. We saw many loaded 
cars, some drawn by seven horses in aline. 

At half-past ten A. M. we reached Valencd. Here 
we took our breakfast and dinner togethei'. We were 
now near the Rhone. The hills beyond it were covered 
with snow. We rode past many orchards of mulberry 
trees, which are here cultivated for the silk worms. 
Chateaux in groves and gardens surrounded by high 
walls, were scattered along the road. At half past nine 
P. M., reached Lyons, or Leeon, as the French call it. 
The street lights along the Rhone and Saone, made a 
pretty panorama in the water. 

25i/i — From the vast quantities of silk and other 
fancy goods manufactured at Lyons, I had supposed 
that there were some huge establishments there : but 
the silks, velvets, &c., are made in little outof-the- 

14 



158 LYONS, 

way rooms scattered through the city, each of them 
occupied by some half dozen workmen. I went up to 
the top of a high building where they were embroider- 
ing gold on silk. A school of boys met me on the stair- 
way, making a great clattering with their wooden shoes 
as they ran down. The process of embroidering I 
could not understand, but I could admire the elegant 
pieces of work that were finished. 

Afterwards I visited the glass works, and saw them 
cutting off the ends of tumblers, wine glasses, &c., with 
scissors as if they had been cloth. 

It was too hazy to go up into the observatory of the 
city, from which, in a fair day, Mont Blanc, one hun- 
dred miles distant, can be seen, 

I also took a view of the Hotel de Ville, or City Hall. 
It is a fine building. There is also an old cathedral in 
the town which is worth a visit. 

26^A. — My English hotel keeper said he would send 
me to the boat in a homnibus, but he did'nt; he sent 
me in a aclc. The boat was one of those small open 
ones which ply on these rivers ; and, by my measure- 
ment, was just twelve feet across in its widest part. I 
had some difficulty in finding the stern, but at last I 
observed a man with his head pushing the handle of the 
rudder. In this way he steered the boat. A recruit 
with several of his companions was on board and were 
singing some patriotic songs. A friend or brother 
rushed from the shore to the boat and seemed deter- 
mined to go with him. The recruit seized him and en- 
deavored to push him back, and with the help of others 
succeeded in putting him on shore. It, was merely a 
piece of French theatricals; the man who seemed bent 
on accompanying his friend, knew precisely how the 
matter would end. There Avere several French cavalry 
ofiicers on board, wearing those enormous red panta- 
loons. If I had been mathematical, I should have "taken 
the sun" and tried to find the latitude and longitude of 
their legs. In the cabin w^as a Frenchman giving 
imitations of many birds, &c. ; they were truly won- 
derful. 



CHALONS. PARIS. 159 

"We arrived at Chalons at half-past five in the after- 
noon. The cathedral bells were ringing, deep and mel- 
low, sounding like the vesper hymn : 

" Over the waters soft and clear." 

27^A — Off by railway at six in the morning. Patches 
of snow were seen along the road, indicating that the 
French have had a hard winter. On approaching Paris 
we crossed the crooked Seine several times. At four 
o'clock I reached Paris. Here the examination of my 
baggage was very slight. As I rode down to the city, I 
tried -to find a reason for the strict examination I un- 
derwent when I first landed in France. And I came 
to the conclusion that I was then suspected of being 
an Englishman. 

I stopped at the Hotel cV Lille Sf de Albion, Eue St. 
Honore. The prices are reasonable for Paris ; and 
for the first time on the Continent I found soap in my 
room. The landlord and several of the waiters speak 
English. The Commissioner, or guide attached to the 
hotel, I think you will declare to be an Englishman on 
bearing a few of his remarks. He was looking in a di- 
rectory for a certain name ; first he said it began with 
a hoe ; then he said after reflecting a moment, that it 
began with a hess. He told me that English will soon 
be the "domineering" language on the face of the earth. 
He said that a rotten liapple was good for the hye. He 
declared that the Turks were not like us, but were a 
difi'erent horder of hanimah. He said that many of 
the Hirish told him that their friends in America 
could have defeated the election oiSir Larrence Polk, if 
they had chosen to do so. And he declared in the 
most positive manner that GTruyere cheese is good for 
the disgestion ; it will disgest everything else, but won't 
disgest itself 

Paris, March 1st. — Even the prejudiced, conceited, 
and supercilious English confess that Paris is one of 
the handsomest cities in the world. Yet they do not 
like to hear you rate it above London. The trees in 
the public grounds are no t yet in leaf, yet many people 



iDU PARIS. 

are rambling under them. Children are rolling their 
hoops about, and many women are seen "with caps on 
their heads, sewing or knitting. They have just been 
driving a bull through the streets decorated with rib- 
bons ; and some free-and-easy women dressed as god- 
desses have been riding in the procession of the bull. 
This forms part of one of the childish celebrations for 
which the Parisians are famous — " pleased with a rattle, 
tickled with a straw." 

The air is mild and pleasant, and the sky clear. The 
fountains sparkle in the sun. How long before their 
crystal waters will be dashed with blood ? 

March 2d. — I went in to see a panorama of the over- 
land journey to California, now exhibiting in the Palais 
Hoyal. The steamboat " Senator" was shown on the 
Sacramento river, and was described as the handsomest 
boat ever built by the Americans. And the steamer 
" Panama" was declared to be the largest and strong- 
est vessel ever built by the same people, and carries six 
hundred people. Cape Horn was shown with vessels 
doubling it in a storm. Here was given the best imi- 
tation of thunder that I ever heard; made by roiling 
heavy balls in the room over our heads. Views on the 
Atlantic were pictured ; Yankee Doodle was tried to- 
be played on the piano ; and when the city of New- 
York came in sight, " Hail Columbia" was played. 

March dd, Notre Dame. — There was service here on 
this day, nearly all the audience being composed of wo- 
men. Chairs are placed about the church which those 
who use must pay for. The church is a great cage for 
some little birds who reside within it;, and who from 
long connection with it, may well be considered mem- 
bers. Though some of them were hopping about and 
examining the floor as if they wished to see seed. 

After leaving the church I went to the dead house 
which is near at hand, and saw three bodies lying on 
cots until they should be recognized by their friends. 
They were naked except a cloth wound about the mid- 
dle. Their clothes were hung upon the "vjrall.. One, 



PARIS. 161 

was a man with beard and moustache, whose thin arms 
shewed that he had wasted away either by starvation 
or sickness. Near him lay a large man, whose face 
was distorted as if he had died by violence. The re- 
maining body was that of a young woman, with long 
hair, who had most likely, to end a hfe of shame, 
drowned herself in the Seine. Hardly a day passes in 
which several bodies are not fished out of the river ; 
and yet the river water after being filtered is all the 
water you can get to drink in Paris. 

At'night I went to see -Robert Houdin, the celebrated 
magician and necromancer. On mj way through the 
Boulevard Italien, I saw a woman sitting flat on the 
sidewalk with her back against a house, reading an old 
torn book by the light of a tin lamp, with both her legs 
exposed to the passers by. N. B. — Her legs were of 
wood. 

Houdin was no great trickster. The audience was 
similar to those we are accustomed to see at Niblo's in 
New- York. But in one of the best seats in front, sat 
a very black negro woman, who was treated with great 
politeness by the Magician and by those present. 

March ith. — Walked for several hours in those wide 
streets known as the Boulevards, where the pavements 
are as spacious as many of the streets of continental 
towns. The display in the shop windows of all sorts 
of fancy goods, jewelry, &c,, was truly wonderful. The 
exquisite taste of the French in these matters has never 
been equalled and cannot be disputed. And yet, do 
their articles wear as well as those manufactured in 
England or America ? 

March 5th, Sunday — This is the day when the " peo- 
ple" are admitted into the Louvre gallery. I found 
very few of the people there ; a review of troops in the 
courtyard of the Tuillenes palace presenting more at- 
traction for them. It was said that the Emperor was 
to be present at the review ; but I did not choose to 
Btand in the crowd and wait, because I can see a rattle- 

14* 



162 PARIS. 

snake or boa constrictor on almost any day for six and 
a quarter cents. 

I went to-day to see Napoleon's tomb in the Hospital of 
the Invalides. It is situated in a circular, vaulted fo'om 
with a marble floor, in the centre of which is a hole 
fifteen feet across, surrounded by a marble railing. Irt 
this hole, or cavity, is a stone sarcophagus, massive yet 
short, but quite long enough for the body of the " Little 
Corporal." The tomb is not yet completed, the- body 
now lying in a stone coflSn in an adjoining room ; the 
cocked hat and sword of the warrior being placed in 
full view at his feet. Near the ton:ib is ail altar cover •■ 
ed by a gilded canopy supported by four twisted 
columns of variegated marble, with gilt capitals ; the 
whole being of the richest and most elaborate architec- 
ture. Underneath the canopy is a representation of 
Christ upon the cross. Near the altar are placed the 
tombs of some of Napoleon's favorite generals. 

I went out to the village of St. Cloud to see the- 
palace. There is a short railway about two- miles long, 
leading in that direction, upon which is a car drawn by 
horses and called the "American omnibus." Crowds^ 
of people gather around it to see it start. My way lay 
through the AYood of Boulogne, in which is a small 
town of the same name, though very much smaller than- 
the Boulogne of the English Channel. Crossing the 
Seine I reached the village and Palace of St. Cloud. 
The palace is small,, and is built upon three sides of a 
square. From its front a fine view is obtained of the 
wmding river, with Boulogne on the opposite shore, 
and Paris in the distance. The inside ' of the palace 
was similar to otl>er royal residences that I have seen.. 
There were marble floors and floors inlaid with wood of 
difierent colors. The ceilings of some of the rooms were 
vaulted and painted. Many of the doors and window 
shutters were handsomely carved and gilded. There 
were some choice paintings and some handsome-statuary ; 
also some large pictures in tapestry. 

In some of tlie rooms wood was laid in the fire'^lacesk 



PARIS. 163 

feady to be lighted. There is a chapel in the palace 
which I suppose the Little Butcher sometimes attends. 
I went into his library which was not very large but 
very compact and neatly arranged. The room was 
composed of three small stories^ each with a gallery 
running around it, accessible by a narrow stairway. 
Upon looking into one of the book-cases I saw a large 
volume, on the back of which was printed these words: 
" Bible de famille^'' — which appeared a^ if it had been 
very little used. The private apartments of the Em- 
peror could not be seen, as he was expected to arrive 
to-day. No person is allowed to enter the grounds in 
which he walks, for he has some little reason to fear 
concealed assassins, tarpedoes, man-traps, spring-guns^ 
&c. 

On leaving the palace, which is the most snug and 
comfortable royal residence I have yet seen, I went into 
the park on the bank ©f the river where are fountains, 
grass plats, and pleasant views. The trees are not left 
to grow according to nature, but are trimmed so as to 
be exactly even and flat at the top, which gives them 
rather an artificial look. 

On my return, I saw in the streets of Paris, some of 
the exhibitions which take place there on Sundays. 
There were contortionists with their legs over their 
shoulders ; men with learned rabbits and other educa- 
ted animals, with crowds of people as spectators. 

March 1th — The Old Palace of Foatainebleau. — 
This is forty miles from Paris on the railway towards 
Lyons. It is situated in the town of Fontainebleau,. 
which lies concealed in the forest of that name, where 
the Kings and Emperors can hunt the deer and wild- 
boar, kept here for royal sporting. The ancient palace 
is of brick and stone, and of irregular shape. The 
gardens and grounds in its immediate vicinity are ex- 
tensive and handsome. Near it is a pond of water, in 
the centre of which is a circular summer-house, to which 
Napoleon the First, or the Big Butcher, used to row 
himself and his ministers when any very important ra.a.t- 



164 PARIS. 

ter was to be discussed, and which it was necessary to 
keep secret. Here he would be out of ear-shot of the 
women. 

In the interior of the paUice, the walls are hung with 
gobelin tapestry, large oil paintings, &c. The sides and 
ceilings of some of the rooms were most splendidly 
carved and gilded. There were some handsome draw- 
ing rooms, halls of Francis the First, and some of the 
Louises. I passed through rooms formerly occupied by 
the Pope ; Marie Antoinette's bed chamber, with its 
rich silk embroidered curtains; Napoleon's bed chamber, 
private cabinet, and bath-room, in which was a little short 
bathing tub ; Madame de Maintenon's apartments, 
whose bed chamber, though it did not look so royal, 
seemed much more comfortable. The bed quilt was 
handsome enough, being of embroidered white satin. 

March 8th. — Passino^ alonff one of the streets run- 
ning from the rear of the Palais Eoyal, I saw a door 
or gateway hung with black, within which was a coffin, 
covered with a velvet pall, lying all alone with no per- 
son near it. The people in the street as they passed, 
took off their hats ; and some of them sprinkled water 
upon the pall, water being placed in a jar near by for 
that purpose. This custom seemed to me very cu- 
rious, but I was told that it was entirely catholic. 

March9th — There is a celebrated piece of ancient 
marble sculpture at Florence, called "the slave whet- 
ting a knife." On the corner of the main entrance from 
the Tuilleries gardens to the Little Butcher's palace, 
is a copy of this statue in bronze. How beautifully 
appropriate ! Turning your back on the palace, you 
look through the main avenue of the gardens and see 
the Obelisk of Luxor, raised thousands of years ago in 
Egypt by slaves writhing under the whips of task- 
masters, and now standing on the spot where once rose 
and fell the crimson guillotine. In the distance up the 
Champs Elysees, stands the Arch of Triumph, erected 
to commemorate the bloody victories of the elder Na-^ 
poleon. The air smells of human gore, here in the 
heart of brilliant, polite, cut-throat France. 



PARIS. 165 

March lO^A— The general Post Office {La Grande 
Poste^) is entered through an arched gateway and sur- 
rounds a courtyard. The gateway is guarded by a 
sentinel with a musket and bayonet. It is a dingy 
building containing a number of rooms, not very large, 
and with no such display of clerks as you will see in 
the New York Post Office. The letter boxes for the 
reception of letters deposited for the mails are labelled 
'■'■Bottc aux Lettres.'''' There is nothing peculiar about 
the Pra-is Post Office to an outsider. 

Bank of Pkance. A sentinel is also placed before 
the gateway of this building, the different rooms of 
which are entered from a courtyard. A few clerks, 
standing behind high glass screens ^Dlaced upon the 
counters, did not seem very busily engaged. There is 
no clink of coin as in the Bank of England. But two 
or three customers were visible, and they did not seem 
in much of a hurry ; and yet this very Bank prevented 
the Bank of England some years ago from collapsing 
a flue. 

The Grand French Opera. This is a handsome 
house, yet no handsomer than the old New York Opera 
House. To get to the pit you have to go up two pair 
of stairs. The seats are entirely too close together, 
cramping even the legs of a short man. People, when 
they wish to leave the house for a short time, tie their 
handkerchiefs to the back of their seats, which secures 
them. In England or in the United States they would 
probably miss both handkerchiefs and seats on their 
return. The Emperor's box is a small one over the 
side of the stage; and from it hangs a crimson velvet 
embroidered cloth to distinguish it from those of the 
corammon herd, I heard one act of the Opera of 
"Moses in Egypt," which, as far as I could judge, ap- 
peared to be pretty well sung. From the appearance 
of Moses hiinself, I inferred that he had been out of 
the bulrushes about thirty -five years. 

March Wth. — The Fi'ench women are certainly very 
pretty. They have a genius, for dress, just as their 



166 PARIS. 

countrymen have a genius for cooking. A French- 
woman is born a milliner. She chooses her colors to 
suit her complexion and her style of face. She does 
not dress as gaudily as our New York city ladies, 
many of whom flatter themselves that they dress after 
the Paris fashion ; and her fits seem to be perfect. The 
Frenchwomen have handsome feet and ancles, cased in 
neat French boots; and they walk gracefully. The 
great majority of all the shops are tended by women. 
Look in upon them through the windows, and v/hen 
not engaged in waiting on a customer, you will always 
see them sewing; making something pretty to wear or 
to sell ; or writing in cash books and ledgers, with neat 
cuffs or rufSes round their wrists, and wearing jaunty 
little caps upon their heads ; or with their hair exposed 
and glossily done up. Even your chambermaid, or 
washerwoman, appears neat, round and tidy. 

I noticed some odd shops scattered through the 
streets of Paris, In one you will see lumps of coal, 
sticks of wood and kindlings ranged in order and ex- 
posed for sale. Another, has mutton chops, steaks, 
game, &c., all ready for cooking. Another, roast fowls, 
&c., done brown and crisp, waiting for purchasers. 
Here, is a silver counter over which well dressed girls 
sell drinkables. There, a man who has a mysterious 
bottle, out of the mouth of w^hich comes whatever drink 
you may ask for, without his touching the bottle. I 
guessed that he touched certain springs with his feet, 
which were under the counter. He keeps the secret 
from his own wife, as I was told, well knowing that if 
it was imparted to her she would either have to tell it 
to some one else^ or burst. But the shops or stores, 
and saloons or ca/es, of Paris, are more easily imagined 
than described. They seem countless, are well got up, 
sell eveiy thing to every body, at all prices, and will 
cheat you if they can. And they can. 

I observe some common looking young men with 
blue blouses or frocks, walking about the streets with 
bunches of colored ribbons hanging from their caps. 



PARIS. 167 

These fellows have been drawn for soldiers ; going 
perhaps to fight the " Great Bear," They may be both 
drawn and quartered before the year rolls round. 

A year or two ago, the Government pulled down 
many houses near the Tuilleries Palace for the purpose 
of extending the Rue Rivoli. The owners of these 
buildings were paid a very low price; but from want 
of money, or lack of confidence in the existing state of 
things, no one comes forward to purchase lots and erect 
new buildings, although this is the very heart of the 
city. .But it is said that in a conspicuous place near 
the palace, a reckless American has purchased a lot of 
ground on which he intends to erect a Hotel on a large 
scale and to be kept in the American style,where you 
pay so much per day whether you are absent from 
your meals or not. Some of the Parisians predict that 
the hotel will be a failure ; but I predict that if kept by 
a " ]ive Yankee " it will succeed, for his sagacity will 
point out to him the necessity of keeping his hotel in 
both the French and American fashions. 

I went to-day to see the Gobelins, where the beau- 
tiful tapestry, carpets, &c., are made, small specimens 
of which were in the New York Crystal Palace. The 
work seems done mostly with fingers. The pictures 
from which the workmen were copying were placed 
behind them, and the imitations were so perfect that at 
a little distance you would be puzzled to decide between 
the skill of the "old master" and the new. The man- 
ufactory belongs to Government, and the tapestry and 
carpets are made for the French palaces, or for presents 
to foreign potentates. The work is very expensive and 
keeps competition at a distance. 

I also went to a Horse Fair. A number of large 
working horses were exposed for sale. They tried the 
strength of these horses in a novel manner. They 
would hitch them to carts whose wheels would not turn; 
several men would then mount the carts, and the horses 
would be made to go up a paved hill. To-morrow 
(Sunday) there is to be a Dog Fair in this spot, and a 
Pigeon Fair in another part of the city. 



168 PARIS. 

Leaving these great horses I went to the tomb of a 
great man — La Fayette. A better man than all the 
Bonapartes combined, though less dazzling to the eyes 
of the world, not having cut so many throats. La 
Fayette is buried in a small grave-yard in which are 
interred only twenty or thirty persons. A plain, dark 
slab, raised a foot from the ground, covers his remains. 
A similar slab is placed over the body of his wife who 
lies by his side. The grave stones ai'e joined together 
by a cross. Other members of La Fayette's family are 
buried near him. Polignac, Montmorency, &c., are 
also buried in the same yard. 

Near the tomb of La Fayette is a gate in the wall 
leading into a smaller enclosure, covered with fresh 
green grass ?^d containing but a single tombstone. Yet 
here lie one thousand three hundred and sis persons 
who were guillotined in the Eeign of Terror by one of 
the infernal machines which was stationed in this neigh- 
borhood, in the course of one of those periodical frenzies 
which sometimes agitate the "half monkey, half tiger" 
nation. The single tombstone stands over the body of 
a G-erman who was recognized by his friends. 

The grave-yard where La Fayette is buried is at- 
tached to a church which belongs to the Convent of the 
Sacred Heart, standing in the vicinity. In this church 
are always seen two nuns dressed in white and engaged 
in prayer day and night without cessation. They are 
relieved every hour. I saw them kneeling before the 
altar like motionless ghosts, stirring neither head or 
hand while I remained in the church. 

I went to the Bourse, or Paris Stock Exchange. 
From a gallery IJooked down upon the crowd of brokers 
below. There were about two thousand "bulls" and 
"bears," nearly all Frenchmen, nearly all gesticulating, 
and nearly all of them talking at the same time. Fe- 
male speculators were once admitted here, but they 
made such a noise that the men were obliged to turn 
them out; and now the women stand outside and dabble 
in stocks through some male broker. Several of these 



PARIS. 169 

petticoat operators were pointed out to me. They 
looked like rusty old maids, with sharp tongues ; and it 
is most likely that while they were present within, the 
brokers could not tell whether stocks were up or down. 

At night went in to see the Italian Opera House. 
Here I was obliged to go up stairs again to get to the 
pit. The house is not remarkably large nor remarka- 
bly handsome. The opera was "Don G-iovanni," which 
I have seen much better done in New York. This Ope- 
ra House like similar ones in America, fails to support 
itself; but the French Government contributes a certain 
Bum fowards its existence. 

March I2th. — Went again to the Louvre gallery. It 
being Sunday "the people" were there, and seemed to 
enjoy the fine paintings and statuary. I notice now 
that the statues in the French galleries are more naked 
than in the Italian galleries, where efforts are made to 
conceal a portion of nature. The paintings in this gal- 
lery comprise many very beautiful ones. Those done 
by Claude Lorraine I liked as well as any. 

From the gallery I walked down to the Garden of 
Plants. Many men, women and children, were here to 
enjoy the walks and to see the animals, shrubs and 
flowers. The French people certainly look happy; but 
they also look miserable at what we should consider 
trifles. 

I was with my friend from Islip, lately returned from 
Palestine, who wished to go to La Morgue, or the Dead 
House. Four bodies were lying there for recognition, 
either drowned, murdered or died unknown. One was 
the body of a young girl. We soon turned away from 
the j)ainful sight. 

March \5th. — The glories of my eternal passport are 
about to fade. The American representative has given 
me permission to go to England, via Boulogne. Where- 
upon the French Police have kindly consented that the 
fearful individual '' T. Q." may leave Paris. And no 
charge is made by either! After which the F'rench 
authorities at Boulogne will allow me to embark on any 

15 



170 BOULOGNE. 

vessel leaving the shores of Prance. I do not shew my 
passport to the English Minister in Paris, because he 
would not look at it if I did. I may go to England and 

be hanged, or stay away and be hanged, just 

as I please. Great Britain is not afraid of me. "The 
lion don't eare a farden for Daniel, and Daniel don't 
care a fiirden for the lion." 

There was one "sight" that I designed to see before 
leaving Paris, being tempted thereto by posters on the 
walls, shewing an elephant dancing a polka or some- 
thing like it, at a circus ; and afterward standing on his 
head. Fortunately I heard the account of one who had 
been present at this exhibition; and he asserted that 
the pictures flattered the elephant. "There be land 
rats and water rats." Yankee Barnums and French 
Barnums. G-reenly simjDle I must have been not to 
have thought of this without a hint. So I leave Paris 
without "seeing the elephant." 

March \.Uh. — The last prominent object that met my 
view as I rode towards the railway that was to take 
me from Paris, were the Tuilleries Palace seen in a 
morning haze, and the dark cannon column of the elder 
Napoleon. At the railway station I saw an ofiice, over 
the door of which were these words, — "Information 
given to English travelers." But I did not go in, as I 
could now command the few words necessary to a start. 
The country through which we soon began to pass, 
was neatly cultivated, but fenceless. The speed of the 
train was commendable, but the road seemed the rough- 
est I had yet rode on in Europe. In fact, I do not 
believe that their short cars are ever so easy as the long 
ones used on our roads. At Amiens we stopped for 
breakfast, where I was done out of seventy-five cents 
|br a bowl of soup and a piece of chicken, Eeached 
Bolougne at half past two in the afteinoon. This city 
is full of English rogues, fugitives from justice. 

"True patriots they, fur be it imderstnr.cl, 

They left their country, for their country's good." 

There being no boat till a quarter to eleven o'clock 



FOLKESTONE. LONDON. 171 

to-morrow morning, I am obliged to remain here all 
night.- 

Walked out to a level space near the walls, where 
some soldiers were drilling. There were also some 
countrymen in blue frocks, who were drawn for soldiers, 
and who were now being put through their steps. The. 
boys were laughing at their awkwardness ; and some of" 
the countrymen laughed in self defence; while others 
looked sad, as well they might, on being dragged away 
from their quiet homes to be made butchers of. 

March I5th. — Crossed the channel in about two 
hours, the day being fine and quiet until we reached 
the English side, when the clouds began to congregate. 
I passed the Folkestone custom-house without any 
trouble. At six o'clock I reached London and found 
its atmosphere hazy and foggy. The city looked vast, 
stupid and heavy after Paris. The windows seemed 
as if they had been washed with brotv?i stout. The man 
at the toll bridge which I had to pass, was quite surly, 
so I paid him his toll with a flourish, and thanked him 
kindly for his extraordinary politeness. There could 
be no doubt but all his days had been passed in Eng- 
land. 

I stopped at the Tavistock Hotel, Convent Garden, 
near the theatre of that name, and also near Drury 
Lane. In these two theatres the great actors of Eng- 
land have performed, and many of the great authors 
have witnessed their efforts. 

Drury Lane theatre was literally covered with large 
play-bills and posters, filled with the most extravagant 
puffs of the plays and actors to be seen within ; beat- 
ing our Bowery theatre in gas all to pieces. • I went in 
to see Gr. Y. Brooke, the tragedian, who has performed 
in America. Those who have seen him are aware that 
he has two voices ; one like that of the late actor Ham- 
blin, stopped by snuff; the other like that of a bullfrog 
made hoarse by a London fog while sitting on the 
banks of the Thames watching the working of the 
world. Drury Lane theatre is perhaps larger than the 



172 LONDON, 

Broadway theatre in New York ; the tiers not being 
so deep, but more of them. The house is neat but not 
gaudy ; tolerably comfortable, though not so much so 
as our New York theatres. Brooke did only one good 
thing throughout the entire play of Richard the Third. 
He managed to fall upon the stage from an elevation 
behind the scenes, as if thrown from his horse, previous 
to giving the words, — 

"A horse ! a horse ! my k'ngJom for a horse," &.e. 

The exterior of Drury Lane and Convent Garden 
theatres are solid and substantial without being hand- 
some, after the English style of architecture. 

March I6th. — Foggy and damp, dark, dull and 
heavy. I was told to avoid England in March, but I 
did not think to find it quite so misty. The atmosphere 
should be wholesome, for the people generally look 
healthy; many of them with faces as if cut out of 
rounds of beef; pumpkin-heads and mutton fists. 

This spring climate of England weighs upon my 
heart hke a tub of beer. 

At night, for the purpose of driving away melancholy, 
I went to Madame Vestris' theatre. Her husband, as 
he is called, Charles Matthews, is a good actor, as is 
also another performer by the name of Frank Matthews. 
Madame herself is getting old and fat, a V A7iglaise. 
Porter, brown stout and 3^ears are grossifying the 
modern Cleopatra. It was a fairy piece that was per- 
formed, fall of showy scenery, clap trap and gilt leather, 
but quite destitute of sense. I find no such entertain- 
ment at these theatres as I have enjoyed at Burton's 
and Wallack's in New York. 

In these public places, as well as in the street, I take 
a traveler's privilege of looking at the ladies. Many 
ot the English women are tall and masculine, putting 
tl eir large feet firmly on the ground as they walk. 
Others are moderately tall and immoderately gross and 
fat. There are some of a good handy size, yet not near 
so well looking or well dossed as the French women, 
tb( ugh in France there are a good many fattish fe- 
males. 




il'l U3 



LONDON. 173 

The men here are better looking than the French ; 
with more manly figures and less hair upon their faces. 
Nat, Willis says they are the best looking race of men 
in the world. It may be. Stout fathers and mothers 
are partly the cause ; air and exercise in youth, and 
the climate not so wasting as ours, are also favorable. 
I see many more hale, grey-haired old men here than 
in any other country I have been in. They usually 
spend about two hours at their dinner, and do not jump 
up as soon as they have swallowed their victuals, and 
60 get the dyspepsia. 

March I7th. — -I have been amused when getting one 
of the people at the hotel to find names and places for me 
in the huge London directory. The letter H suffers a 
good deal. The man turns over the leaves of the book, 
and thus ejaculates, — "Haitch, Hi, J, K, Hell, Hem, 
Hen, Hoe," &c. But it is usually the uneducated Eng- 
lish for whom the letter H is too much. Although 
the English generally do not speak their own language 
as correctly as the Americans. 

March I8th. — I went to-day to get a note cashed at 
the Bank of England. I was sent to the " Cashier," 
whom we in America would call the Paying Teller, 
who requested me to write my name and address on 
the back of the note ; he then handed it to a man on 
his left, who wrote something upon its face ; it was 
then passed over to another person who called out my 
name when my turn came, and paid me the coin as re- 
quested. I would like to see a New-York Teller going 
through this process with a thousand one dollar bills. 
The notes of the Bank of England are cancelled when 
paid, and never re-issued. 

March 20^7^.-— Yesterday was a dull, nasty, rainy, 
foggy, hazy, greasy, sticky, slippery, disagreeable Lon- 
don day. To-day is cold, foggy and John Bullish. I 
went to see Westminster Abbey. It was originally 
built of a whitish stone, now browned nearly all over 
by time. Its front of two towei's is narrow and not 
imposing. The side view is the best, although the rear 

15* 



174 LONDON. 

is well worth looking at. After service, which is per- 
formed here daily, I went inside, which in its architec- 
ture presents nothing very remarkable. In one corner, 
Bome of the Poets of England are buried ; and tablets 
are placed upon the wall in honor of some others who 
do not lie there. There are also a number of modern 
tombs with marble figures grouped about them, not in 
very good tuste. The English cannot compare with 
the French in these matters. In one of the chapels are 
buried some of the monarehs of England. Queen Anne, 
and some other notables lie under a pavement upon 
which there is no inscription. Mary Queen of Scots, 
and Queen Elizabeth, have square raised tombs, upon 
which lie their effigies in stone or bronze, representing 
the apparel which they wore while living. These effi- 
gies lie upon their backs, with clasped hands, as if im- 
ploring forgiveness of heaven. Some of the dissolute, 
rascall}^ kings of England have monuments which in 
their day were doubtjess considered very fine; but 
"which are now far eclips(xl by private monuments of 
the present day. The Abbey is old and venerable, being 
quite ancient for England. 

Directly across the street from the Abbey, on the 
banks of the Thames, stand the new Parliament Houses, 
They are handsome buildings. One or t wo large towers 
are not yet completed. Tliey are to be several hun- 
dred feet high. The Lords and Commons commence 
their sittings at four o'clock in the afternoon, frequently 
not rising till morning. To get admission to their halls, 
a member's order is necessary. I shall take the proper 
steps to look in on the English law makers. 

March 21 st^ — Hyde Park. — This Park contains 
groves, open spaces covered with green sward, and 
many large tr(3es. A t^ruall stream called the Serpen- 
tine Eiver, runs through it. There is also a pond in it 
which is sometimes frozen over in winter. Kensington 
gardens occupy one end of the Park, near which is 
Kensington Palace, a small aud plain building wheik 
considered as a royal residence. Apsley House, the 



LONDON. 175 

residence of -the late Duke of Wellington, fronts on the 
Park. Many blocks of handsome dwellings are also 
near Hyde Park. There are roads for carriages in the 
Park ; and no boards are put on the trees to warn pedes- 
trians to "Keep off the Grass." This Park measures 
by miles and not by rods, although Regent's Park con- 
tains one hundred acres more land. These two Parks 
have been aptly called the " Lungs of London." This 
mighty city needs such breathing places. 

At night I went to the Princess' Theatre. Her 
"Most Gracious Majesty" Victoria I, patronizes this 
theatre. Its manager Mr. Charles Kean, is well knowB 
in America, as more of a gentleman and a scholar than 
an actor. The theatre is small and not very comfort- 
able. Some of the seats in the pit are without cushions 
or backs. "Women circulate among the audience and 
sell play bills. In no theatre in Europe do you obtain 
play bills gratis as you do in our country. 

March 22d — Uegent's Park. — This enclosure is so 
large that it looks quite like the countiy. The Zoolo- 
gical Gardens are in this Park, and. all the animals and 
birds that can exists in this climate you will be apt to 
find here. The day being cold and chilly, but very few 
of the animals were " at home" to visitors. 

British Museum. — This rather beats Barnum's. It 
will be impossible to mention but few of the curiosities 
to be seen here, so I only select those which appeared 
to me the most striking. The Elgin Marbles brought 
from Greece, are here ; consisting of parts of columns, 
capitals, &c. ; broken statues, friezes, entablatures and 
other classic fragments. Some of the statues were ail 
gone but the head ; others were destitute of heads, legs 
and arms. Some people assert that Lord Elgin should 
have left these relics in Greece ; while others say that 
if left there they would have been destroyed long 
since. 

There are a number of large winged lions and bulla 
brought from the city of Nineveh by Mr. Layard. They 
are massive specimens of antique sculpture, and were to 
me exceedingly interesting. 



176 LONDON. 

As I intend to visit this museum again, ^ omit further 
mention of it for the present. The exterior of the 
building is quite handsome, with its two wings and rows 
of columns. 

In the evening, I stepped into one of the Saloons 
known as Evans], to see how the youth of England 
spend a portion of their nights. The company are 
pretty generally assembled at about ten o'clock, and 
are seated around long tables taking refreshments in 
true English style ; not the light sweet cakes and 
candies which the Erench love so much, but beef steaks, 
chops, ham and eggs, &c., accompanied by spirits or 
ale. Some eight or ten men and boys are employed to 
sing glees, catches and songs, which they do with more 
power than melody. How can an Englishman be ex- 
pected to sing with six cubic inches of fog in his throat. 
There is no charge for admission to these places in 
London, but you are expected to call for some refresh- 
ments. I asked for a sandwich, and the waiter brought 
me eight ! Here I was again suspected of being an 
Englishman. 

March 2od. — One of the features of London is the 
" chop house," restaurant, or eating house. On the 
windows are painted these words : " Hot joints from 
twelve to eight," " chops and steaks" — "Alsops pale 
ale," — " XXX brown-stout," &c. When Nature cries 
out that she "abhors a vacuum," you can step into one 
of these houses and. order a "chop" or a " steak" — you 
need not mention mutton chop, for the English know 
no other, and the chances are that you will get 
for about twenty-five cents a good and substantial din-, 
ner, with a pot of ale into the bargain ; not forgetting 
a mouthful or two of Stilton or Cheshire cheese. These 
chop-houses are convenient to the stranger when en-- 
gaged in sight seeing. They are all over town, but 
chiefly in the " city," as the business part of London ia 
called. And if you don't dine at your hotel, you do 
not pay. 

"Walking along the Strand to-day, I was struck by 



.*■•> jW ■«-'. iSasSS 




LONDON. 177 

the largest panes of glass I had ever seen, which were 
made to form the windows of a looking-glass shop. I 
had the curiosity to step in and inquire the size of these 
unbroken sheets of glass, and was informed that they 
are sixteen feet high and ten feet wide, being the largest 
panes of glass in the world. Were these windows in 
New- York, they would be likely to be broken by some 
New- York rowdy, incited by rum or the spirit of mis- 
chief; but said rowdy would here get his deserts, as 
he would have no rascal of a New- York Alderman to 
protect- him. ' There is something good in John Bui! 
after all. 

Bellingsgate Market. — The fish- women here have 
made by their free-and-easy talk, a word for the politi- 
cal dictionary — billingsgate. Their conversation is cer- 
tainly not of the most delicate nature whenever they 
get offended. I took good care not to tread on any of 
their toes, but walked about among their fish in the 
most respectful manner I could assume. One of them, 
who might have been a sister of Jack FalstaflT, judging 
from her rotund figure and rubicund face, asked me if 
I wanted to buy a sole ; I answered "no." She then 
, enquired if I wanted to buy a crab ; I answered "no" 
again and walked away. She immediately said some- 
thing which I did not hear, but I am jDositive it was 
not very polite. Simpson's chop-house is in this mar- 
ket, whei e, at his ordinary, at one and four o'clock, he 
suddenly appears at the end of the table, raps on it 
with a hammer, and informs the company what fish is 
set before them. Mr. Simpson entirely disregards 
punctuation, and opens after this manner : " For what 
we are now to receive the Lord make us thankful soles 
turbot whiting herrings fall to gentlemen !" 

Thames Tunnel. — This celebrated work is at Wap- 
ping, where the sailors congregate. After paying a 
penny sterling at the door, I descended some dist- 
ance by a winding stairway until I arrived at the en- 
trance of two arched ways, which comprise the Tunnsl. 
I judge the arches to be about fifteen feet high and 



178 LONDON. 

ten or twelve feet wide at the bottom. The bottom 
was narrower than the sides, which bulged outward, 
as I suppose they ought. The tunnel is painted white, 
and brilliantly lit by gas, so that you can hardly be 
made to believe that you are under ground with a 
river and vessels over your head. Some wet spots 
are seen here and there on the pavement under your 
feet, but there are no other indications of water. 
One division of the tunnel is occupied by shops, re- 
fi'eshment rooms, shows, &c. Here they have many 
trinkets to sell you, which people purchase as memen- 
tos of the London Tunnel. I was interested in a 
email organ, about the size of a hand organ, which 
went by steam, and ground out very tolerable music. 
The tunnel is only used for foot passengers, who thus 
pass under the river for two cents. As far as dividends 
are concerned the Tunnel is a complete failure; but it 
is really one of the greatest curiosities to be seen in 
London. 

At night, I went to Astley's Amphitheatre. This is 
a large and handsome house, with two or three rows of 
boxes, and a regular theatrical stage. They were per- 
forming what they call a "horse piece," in which the horses 
proved themselves the best actors. There was a false 
knight who carried off a lady. Her "lovyer" pursued the 
villain and there were several rows and fights. The 
acting of the men was in that " busting" style which 
any one can enjoy at the Bowery Theatre at New 
York. The piece concluded by a grand crash, after 
which the curtain fell. Then the actors who had most 
pleased the audience were called out before the cur- 
tain ; and among them was a favorite horse, who got 
down on his knees and bowed to the audience as if to 
thank them for their applause. After the play, there 
was riding in the ring, but it was of no account ; the 
clown was not at all funny. 

March 24:th. — A London " fine day" is when you can 
see the chimney of the house across the street. Then 
it is only a small fog for these parts. 



LONDON. 179 

Another feature of London is the words printed on 
the shop windows showing when the store or shop 
was established. The Bnghsh hke antiquity, even in 
cheese. ' 

And still another feature is the many fellows in 
livery, flunkies^ as they have been called. Thacke- 
ray's "Ohawles Yellowplush" is seen on every corner. 
Our new York snobs imitate this feature, and make 
themselves truly ridiculous thereby. 

Bolt Court. — This is a lane or alley running out of 
Fleet street. The great moralist, Dr. Johnson, once 
lived here, but his house is now torn down. " Dr. 
Johnson's tavern" still stands, somewhat modernized 
to be sure, but the very room where he and his friends 
used to meet, is now in existence. I dined one day on 
a "chop," in the coffee room directly under the apart- 
ments once frequented by the celebrated lexicographer. 
Of course my thoughts reverted back to " Old Sam," 
and I imagined that I could hear some of his conver- 
sation. 

Johnson. — Sir, the man who could perform that act, 
could have no inducement to withhold his hand from 
your pocket. 

Bosivell. — But, Doctor 

Johnson. — But, what, sir. 

BosioeU.—Yoxi. will excuse me, but I differ with you 
in a slight degree. 

Johnson. — Sir, you are a fool. 

Boswell. — (Smiling faintly) Thank you, Doctor! thank 
you! 

March l^th. — I saw two fellows to-day standing in 
front of a house, dressed up as hired mourners, with 
long black weepers hanging from their hats, and each 
with a staff in his hand trimmed with crape. They 
could have very little feeling about the funeral in which 
they were to play a part. They appeared to me 
to be thinking of the money which they were to get, 
and the place where they were to go after the funeral 
and get a mug or two of ale. This English custom of 



180 RUGBY . S TEATFORD-ON-AVON. 

hiring mourners, seems the very mockery^ of woe; a ri- 
diculous dispki,y made for the sake of fashion, even at 
the very portals of the grave. 

I went to-night to hear Mr. Cummings, a celebrated 
anti- Catholic Presbyterian, who preaches in a small 
church, standing in a lane or court, near Drury Lane 
Theatre. The crowd was so great I could not even get 
near the door, so I must make another attempt to hear 
this popular preacher. 

Eleven days in London and one unbroken fog. This is 
a matter of course here at this season of the year, so I 
will vary the monotony of my present existence by an 
excursion into the country. 

March 27th. — I went down by "rail" to Eugby, (pro- 
bably Jack Rugby's birth place,) but found that I 
should have gone fifteen miles further to Leamington, 
which was the nearest point on the road to Shak- 
speare's native town. From Leamington I had ten 
miles to perform, which I did by " fly" or cab, and 
80 reached Stratford. I passed through the town of 
Warwick without seeing the castle, a great attraction 
to travellers. But I can do so hereafter, as I go 
back that way. I had a good view of the country, 
from my vehicle. The hedges and k"ees are not yet 
in leaf, nor is there much green spread upon the fields; 
yet it is perfectly plain that this Englandis a fine coun- 
try, neatly tilled and trimmed. Clumps of trees were 
left growing here and there in the fields ; the houses 
were of solid stone or brick, with good outbuildings, 
and the cattle looked sleek and respectable. 

Stratford-Ox\-Avon. — I stopped at the Red Horse 
Tavern, but there was no picture of a horse over the 
door. It seemed a plain country inn. The room as- 
signed to me was No. 15, made celebrated by having 
formerly been occupied by Washington Irving. The 
names of many Americans were written on the wall 
paper, wherever the color of the figures would admit. 
After getting settled in my temporary abode, I walked 
•out through the town of Stratford into the country. Ma- 



c^ 



S f R A T I" R D - O N- A V O N . 181 

ny strange birds were singing in the hedges and on the 
trees. The country was level, smooth and well taken 
care of. There were a number of gothic cottages which 
looked neat and pretty. The gates set in the hedges 
were painted white. After a pleasant hour or two, I 
returned to Stratford, whose plain low stone, or brick 
houses, some of them as old a« Shakspeare, are quite 
unlike the gaily painted buildings of our villages. The 
town contains about seven thousand inhabitants. 
There is a bank there, but no newspaper. 

I found a mutton chop with appropriate trimmings, 
served up for ray dinner, in the httle parlor of the hotel. 
A pensive young woman waited on me, who, by her de- 
meanor I guessed to be suffering under the pangs of un- 
requited affection- 

/ "--lie never told her love, 

But let concealment, like a worm in the bud, 
Prey on her damask cheek." 

She told me that many Americans came here in sum- 
mer, and that all of them were desirous of sleeping in 
Washington Irving's room, I am now, I think, the only 
giiest ia the house. 

After dinner, I again walked out. I saw the outside 
of the house where Shakspeare was born. A tall man 
could touch the roof with his cane, and measure the 
front in three or four paces. It is a miserable old 
rookery. It seems to have had several windows which 
are now boarded up, and covered with plaster which has 
peeled off in many places. The door where you enter 
is like those old Dutch doors which are cut in half, so 
that the upper part opens while the lov/er part remains 
shut. To-morrow I will enter this miserable looking 
but immortal old shanty. 

The church where Shakspeare is buried, has been 
rebuilt in part, yet still looks old. It is pretty large in 
size, with a high pointed steeple. The green grave- 
yard in which it stands, is filled with tombstones, many 
of them laid flat upon the ground, which seems to be 
the fashion in old Enghsh churchyards. Near the 

16 



182 STRATFORD-ON-AVON. 

church were standing a number of tall trees in which 
the rooks were building their nests, and keeping up a 
continual cawing. I passed the church and went on 
a short distance to see the River Avon, which we 
should call a brook or a creek. Here I found a flower- 
ing mill, which did not add to the romantic aspect of 
the scene. Tlie country beyond the Avon was level 
and clean. The river runs close by the church where 
Shakspeare is buried. I followed the Avon down 
through the town into the handsomely cultivated coun- 
try; and strolled along its windings until twilight came on. 
On both of its banks there were rows of trees, the tops 
of which had been cut off. New tops were forming; 
and the old stumps and new twigs were clearly mir- 
rored in the stream which was made silver by the twi- 
light sky. In the west were naiTow lines of clouds, 
which were also reflected in the pure and classic 
river. It was now getting dark, and the lights of the 
town were glimmering through the trees. I retraced 
my steps, and as I was passing through the little 
wicket standing by the side of the turnpike gate, I met 
the first tipsy man I had seen in England. As I en- 
tered the town I passed a tavern, the door of which 
opening, let out a sound of revelry. Old Jack Falstafifs 
words cam.e into ray memory. " If sack and sugar be 
a sin, Grod help the wicked !" 

March 2Sth. — Washington Irving's bed-room was 
quite small, but the bed was comfortable and the sheets 
were clean. The curtains were of chintz, hned with 
blue. The windows were shaded with snowy white 
curtains, and the table cloth where stood the toilet 
glass, was unexceptionably pure. 

The morning was very fine. When I descended the 
stairs, I saw'a man standing near the doorway that my 
" prophetic soul " told me was the landlord; and on en- 
quiry I found that my surmise was correct. He was a 
^'gross, fat man," and could have played the part of Fal- 
stafi" without stufiing. "A plague on sighing and grief, 
it blows a man up hke a bladder." 



STRATFORD-ON-AVON. 18S 

I found the table spread for me in the Httle parlor, 
which room was only about fifteen feet square. The 
large cup and saucer, the crockery in general, the cloth 
and all, were clean according to the English fashion. 
There was a fire in the grate ; and upon each side of 
the chimney, hung a bell-rope, adorned with large yel- 
low tassels, so that a man and his wife could sit and 
enjoy the fire, pull the two bell-ropes, give contradict- 
ory orders, and be so comfortable. Upon the mantle- 
shelf were two small white vases, and one or two lesser 
things to hold papers for lighting candles. Behind 
these stood a small mirror. In the window were some 
pots 'containing tropical plants, upon which the glo- 
rious sunlight was streaming. Some hair-bottomed 
chairs and a calico covered sofa added to the comfort 
of the room. 

Beside the fire, the tea-kettle was placed; and the 
maid of the day before, pensive but plump, appeared 
and asked me what I would order for breakfast. Hav- 
ing bi-ought me the eggs, tea and toast, the sedate dam- 
sel disappeared, to ruminate perhaps that, — • 

" The course of true love never did run smooth." 

The breakfast was very satisfactory ; and according to 
custom, the maid had brought in two small silver cad- 
dies containing different teas, so that I could strength- 
en my beverage if I repented of its weakness. She 
had also added some bread and butter, the bread not 
a whit better than ours. Wonderful, is it not, that the 
great Anglo Saxon race with all their ingenuity, skill 
and genius, and with all the good flour that they have 
at command, cannot make bread ! The English are 
too proud to leai'n from the French ; but we Yankees 
being of an enquiring turn, certainly ought to ask for 
information. 

The " Efed Horse Tavern " is not far from the 
" George and Dragon," and the " Gfeorge and Dragon" 
is not far from the " Swan and Maidenhead," which 
latter tavern is now closed, probably from want of cus- 
tom. The very next house to this last, is that in which 



184 STRATFORD-ON-AVON. 

Shakspeare was born. The house next beyond is a 
small and miserable grocery and frait store, with a few 
apples and lemons exposed in the window, and upon 
the shelves a "• beggarly account of empty boxes." 

I knocked at the door of Shakspeare's house,, and 
was admitted by a respectable old lady, who is the 
sole occupant of this famous shanty, which has once 
been used as a butcher's shop. As I entered the door, 
I saw \ipon a sign swinging over my head, these words, 
— " The immortal Shakspeare was born in tbis house." 
The dame first took me to a spot where Lucien Bona- 
parte had written some lines upon the wall,, which un- 
fortunately had been whitewashed over,, and so defaced. 
But the poetry had been copied and preserved in a 
frame,, in. which the author talked of " dropping a tear 
to make a crystal shrine," which struck me as being a 
truly French fancy. I was then shown to an old 
rough stone chimney which was in use in Shakspeare's 
time. We then ascended a rickety stairway into the 
room where Shakspeare was born. This roora was 
about twenty feet square, and so low that I could touch 
the beams and floor above my head with my hand. 
Upon the- white-washed sides of the room, tens of 
thousands of names were written. The old lady point- 
ed out the names of three personsto me,, who, evident- 
ly, in her opinion, wei^e " great in mouths of wisest 
censure." These were Walter Scott, Schiller, and 
Harriet Beecher Stowe. She told me as I took out 
my pencil, to write my name small ; and pointed t0'''a 
place upon a post about two inches from the floor, 
where I added my name to those of the other pilgrims. 

A long, low and narrow window,, containing exceed- 
ing'ly small panes of glass, admits hght'into the room» 
It is warmed by ti large fire-place, which has doubtless 
been a good deal altered since Shakspeare's day. One 
or two small busts of Shakspeare were standing m the 
window, and beside them lay a plaster cast taken from 
the face of Garrick, the actor, which bore a remarka- 
ble resemblance to the face of Edwin Forrest^ 



STRATFORD-ON-AVON. 185 

I was invited to subscribe my name in a book of con- 
tributions for liquidating a mortgage on Sbakspeare's 
house, which by the date I saw had been kept open 
several years. Being rather suspicious that all waa 
not right, I changed the subject. Upon going down 
Btairs, I wrote my name and residence in the visitors'' 
book, and then departed from Sbakspeare's house 
forever. 

My next business was with the Parish Clerk, who has 
charge of the key of the church where Shakspeare is 
buried. I enquired my way to the house, and saw 
upon a sign over the door, " T. Kite, Parish Clerk." 
His wife came to the door, and from her I learned that 
the old bird was at the church. I passed through 
the green graveyard where were many mounds, not 
mtirked by stones. In the church I found the clerk 
with two young Englishmen, who had just entered. 
He took us to the railing before the altar, where lay a 
piece of matting, under which were the graves of 
Shakspeare and some of his family. The clerk with- 
drew the matting, and stepping up on the second plam 
stone slab, I turned my back to the altar, and looking 
down upon the grave of Shakspeare, read these words: 

G-ood friend, for Jesus' sake forbear 
To dig the dust enclosed lierc ; 
Blest IS the man who spares these stones, 
But curst be he who moves my bones." 

Under my feet lay perhaps a little dust, or perhaps 
a green and mouldering bone, which had once formed 
a part of the soul case of a man who has created an 
element which follows the Anglo Saxon race, hke light,, 
wherever they go ; and which must eventually shed a 
glory on the remotest corners of the earth. The worth- 
lessiiess of the mere body, never struck me more forcibly 
than now. Here was one gone to decay, and lost, yet 
the products of its soul were daily acquiring fresh 
vitality, as new men and new countries appeared upon, 
the earth. 

'■ The cloud cap'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, 
The solemn temples, nay even the great globe itself," 

must pass away as soon as Sbakspeare's fame. 



186 STRATFORD-ON-AVON. 

His wife, Anne Hathaway, lies by his side, and upon 
his other hand, his favorite daughter, Mrs. Hall, her 
husband, and their child. Upoo the wall, about six 
feet from thu floor, is a monument to S-hakspeare, 
placed there soon after his death. The bust adorning 
the monument has been supposed to be cut after a cast 
taken from his face after death. It is fuller and rounder 
than his face is made in any pictures that I have seen 
of him. 

Within the railing of the altai', is the tomb- of oM 
John-a-Comb, the usurer, whose money bought him 
this post of honor. His effigy in stone lies on the 
tomb upon its back, and with clasped hands. Shaks- 
peare's comical epitaph on the old usurer, is still extant. 

Some of the oaken seats in the church are one hun- 
dred years older than- S-hakspeare, and are still in es- 
cellent condition. 

I left the church slowly, and walked through the 
villa;ge to sorr.-^ +^3lds which I was to cross in order to 
find the cottage where Shakspeare courted Anne 
Hathaway. While I was opening a gate, the two 
Englishmen joined me; and before we got fairly into 
the field", an old lady and her maid came up, who asked 
permission to go with us to a neighboring stile, as they 
were afraid of the cows. Over these fields, now be- 
coming green and spring-like. Will Shakspeare had 
often hastene<l to the hamlet of Shottery, where lived 
his Anne Hathaway. 

" Sweet Anne Hathaway, 
■ She halh a way 
To make folks gay 
Sweer. Aime H;uhaway !:" 

The old thatched house of the Hathaway's is now 
occupied by several famihes. Mrs. Baker, who claims 
to be a regular descendant from the family, exhibited 
to us two or three rooms, with low ceilings above our 
heads, with beams exposed, all whitewashed and look- 
ing clean and tidy. The floors were of flat stones ; tho 
windows low and narrow with small pane.s of glass ^ 



STRATFORD-ON-AVON. 187 

and there was a large, wide chimney which was said to 
be in existence in the days of the ancient Hathaway's. 
Abotit the cottage is a pleasant rural district. Here 
Shakspeare used to come of an evening, and take Anne 
out for a walk. Perhaps they went through fields a 
mile or two, to the pure Avon, not discolored by the 
dirt of cities, but winding down among green and 
mossy banks through the clean country. The moon 
would rise, and the odor of flowers come floating to 
them on the lingering evening breeze, while afar off 
might be heard the " dying fall" of distant music. The 
recollT3ction of such a night may have been the origin 
of a scene in the " Merchant of Venice," which I have 
always thought very beautiful. 

Lorenzo. " The moon shines bright.— In such, a night as this. 

When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees, 
k And they did make no noise ; in such a n'ght, 

Troiliis, methiuks, mounted the Trojan walls, 

And sighed his soul towards the Grecian tents, 

VVhere Cressid lay that night. 
Jessica. In such a night, 

Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew ; 

And saw the lion's shadow ere himself,. 

And ran dismayed away. 
Lorenzo. In such a night,. 

Stood Dido, with a willow in her hand 

Upon the wild sea banks, and waved her love 

To come again to Carthage. 
Jessica. la snch a night, 

Medea gathered the enchanted herbs 

That did renew old jEson. 
Lorenzo. In such a night. 

Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew ; 

Apd with an unthrifc love did run from Venice, 

As fir as Belmont. 
Jessica. In such a night, 

Did young Lorenzo swear ho loved her well ; 

Stealing her soul with many vows of faith, 

And ne'er a true one. 
Lorenzo. In such a n'ght. 

Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew. 

Slander her love, and ho forgave it her. 



How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank ! 
Here will we sit, and lot the rounds of music 
Creep in our ears ; soft stillness, and the uight, 
Become the touches of sweet harmony. 
Sit Jessica. Look, how the floor of heaven 
Is thick inlaid with patinos of bright gold. 
There's not the smale^'t orb which tuou behold'st 
But in his motion like ai) angel sings. 
Still quiring to the youug-eyed cherubims ; 



188 STRATFORD-ON-AVON. 

Such harmony is in immortal souls ; 

Bnt while this muddj' vesture of decay ' 

Doth grossly cloie us in, we cannot hear it." 

Pive miles from Stratford is the seat of Sir Thomas 
Lucy, whose deer Shakspeare stole. The place is still 
in the possession of descendants of the old Squire. 

Stratford is a quiet village. There are some tall 
chimnej^s in the outskirts of the town, denoting manu- 
factories ; but they make no noise. The weather is now 
pleasant ; and the level country around is dreamy and 
hazy. The Avon does not run, but ghdes as with bare 
feeLover a velvet sward. There is a rural contem- 
plative calm; a. thoughtful silence, as if Shakspeare 
were still present and reading his own heart in a low 
clear voice to all mankind ; while the elements, owning 
the great bond that links the universal heart of man, 
had hushed themselves to hsten. Yes, in this spot lived 
the wild ungoverned boy, who in after life drew from 
the -store which God had placed within him, handfulls of 
liquid pearls which he scattered over the earth in bound- 
less profusion, making for himself 

"One of the few immortal names, 
That \Yere not born to die," 

I left Stratford with regret ; and more than once in 
my tour through England, was inclined to return to. 
it. 

In the afternoon I left Stratford-Upon-Avon by 
" coach" for Warwick. Besides the seats in the interior, 
there were also seats upon the top, before and behind. 
I got up on the rear elevation so that I could get a view 
of the country. The coachman was a respectable look- 
ing grey-haired old man, with a broad-brimmed hat and 
white cravat. In our country he would have passed 
as a deacon of a church. The road was chiefly on a 
hill, from which on each side extended views of AVar- 
wickshire were enjoyed by me. Truly a very handsome 
country. I stopped at the George Tavern, in Warwick. 
The "Assizes" were now being held, and a number of 
tlW witnesses were stopping at this house, as well as, 



WARWICK. 189 

several individuals whom I judged to be " commercial 
travellers." These last, were a noisy, obstreperous set, 
talking loud and drinking deep. Their nature is similar 
to that of the New- York commercial " drummer," and 
they do not seem to stand very high in the estimation 
of their fellow citizens. While I was sitting in the 
cofi'ee-room, a person came in fi^om the court and an- 
nounced that a certain trial in which the parties seemed 
to take an interest, was concluded ; and that the man 
on trial had been sentenced to fifteen years transpor- 
tation, for writing a threatening letter to his father. 

After my dinner I walked down to a bridge over the 
Eiver Avon, which passes along the outskirts of the 
town. Warwick Castle stood upon its banks not far 
from the bridge, reflected against the evening slcy, and 
shining down in the still stream. 

The bells of two churches were ringing their chimes^ 
and a strolling band of musicians were playing in the 
streets, as I walked back through the town. When I 
got to the tavern, I found that the commercial rowdies 
had introduced a man into the cofFee-roora who was 
playing on the clarionet and making a great noise. I 
could easily have imagined myself among the New-York 
" Empire Club." 

The women at this hotel seemed to manage its busi- 
ness, for the men were invisible. It struck me that 
these females were inclined to be impudent, havingpro- 
bably got contaminated by associating with the " com- 
mercial travellers." 

To get away from the noise in the coffee-room, I went 
up to my sleeping apartment. As I sat here, at about 
nine o'clock, one of the church bells began chiming, 
not a psalm or hymn, but the old song of " Dear Tom, 
this brown jug that now foams with mild ale." 

March 29th. — I went down to a gate in the wall 
surrounding the grounds of Warwick Castle, Adhere I 
was admitted by an old lady, who at once took me into 
a small room in the lodge by the gate, where was kept 
the old armor J, &e., of the ancient Earls of Warwick. 



190 WARWICK, 

Here was the two handed sword of Gruy, Earl of 
"Warwick, the giant, who was eight feet, eleven inches 
tall. The sword was somewhat shorter than a tele- 
graph pole and quite appropriate for a giant to wield. 
Gruy's punch bowl holding one hundred gallons, stands 
in the middle of the room. The armor and weapons 
of Warwick, the Kingmaker, were also shewn me. And 
some bullets fired at the Castle by Cromwell's men. 

I walked up a lane between old walls hung with iv}'', 
to the Castle. I crossed a dry moat, passed under the 
arched gateway and entered the court-yard, covered 
with green grass, trees and flowers. Going now^ up to 
a handsome modern door of the Castle, I rang the bell, 
and was admitted by a servant into a hall where I was 
met by the Earl's housekeeper, a well formed English 
woman of about thirty-five j^ears of age. I told her 
the object of my visit, and was informed that as the 
family were absent in Scotland, she would shew me 
through some of the rooms of the Castle. I found the 
rooms and furniture quite in palace style. There were 
some high oak carved ceilings, som^ apartments in 
which a good deal of gilding was visible, some fine 
paintings, mosaic tables, &c. The housekeeper stumbled 
over the letter H. She pointed out to me the portraits 
of " Eury the Heighth," " Holiver Cromwell," (who 
looked like an old blood-thirsty fanatic,) "Hanne Bul- 
len," (not so very handsome either,) Philip Sidney, 
Queen Anne, (said to be the best likeness of her,) Queen 
Elizabeth, Prince Rupert, &c. These portraits, paint- 
ed by the most eminent artists, are considered as the 
most correct likenesses of these celebrated individuals 
extant; and are now of great value. • 

After the housekeeper had shewn me a good many 
curiosities and cherished relics, among which was the 
" elmet of Holiver Cromwell," she asked me to write 
my name and residence in the visitor's book, which I 
did with considerable of a flourish, hoping that it might 
do the Earl's eyes good wlien he returns from Scotland. 
I. then enquired of the well-built housekeeper, — who I 



WAE-WICK. 191 

found was making a decided impression upon a palpi- 
tating portion of my system lying under the left side 
of my vest, — whether I might offer her a small fee for 
her kindness and attention. She took jt. 
r- I went out again into the court yard were the ivy 
w^as chmbing up to the very battlements. One or two 
of the towers in the wall around the court yard is nine 
hundred years old. One of the Earl's " retainers," a 
lame man, met me here and took me to see the cele- 
brated Warwick vase, standing in the green house 
among shrubs and flowers. This vase holds one hun- 
dred and sixty gallons. It was found in Adrian's villa 
near Tivoli, not far from Rome. 

Outside the wall the park is seen to a great advant- 
age. It is five miles in circumference. The Avon 
winds through it close by the castle, the views from 
the windows of which, are, without exception, most 
beautiful. I saw some cedar trees in the park, which 
I was told were five hundred years old. The trunk of 
one of them I guessed to be seven or eight feet in di- 
ameter. There were also some Spanish chesnuts, 
whose branches bending to the orround, formed new 
trunks, which in their turn w^ent and did likewise. 

Adjoining the castle, a small corn-mill stands upon 
the Avon. The Earl of Warwick thus choosing to 
mingle the useful and the ornamental. 

This castle is in excellent repair, and looks as good 
as new. Take it with its lawns and groves, its grass 
plats and its flowers, and the Avon tw^ining its 
silver thread among them all, and it is emphatically the 
most beautiful place I ever beheld. 

To while away the time I went to see how the " As- 
sizes" were getting on. The lawyers were dressed in 
wigs and gowns. The judge was got up in a more 
extensive manner, and by the aid of his robes and big 
wig made quite an impression upon strangers. The 
cause was something about a "hingin," which we igno- 
rant Americans would have called an engine. But then 
Tou see we do not understand the English language aa 



192 KENILWORTH. 

thoroughly as do the English people. One of the 
lawyers who was questioning a witness in reference to 
on account, and who should have been an educated 
man, spoke ofthe " hodd days." 

From the court room I strolled into the country to 
look at the farms, which, as a matter of course present- 
ed a pleasant face. But I suppose the farmers do not 
own much of the land. It belongs to some titled aris- 
tocrat, or squire, who gripes it with a hard hand. 

In the afternoon, I took the omnibus from Warwick 
to the railway station, from whence I had a short 
journey to Kenilworth. The castle is mostly in ruins ; 
the better part of it is in tolerable repair, occupied by a 
" gentleman farmer." A portion ofthe castle was 
built by John of Gaunt ; a part by the Earl of Leices- 
ter and others. Some massive square towers are 
standing alone by themselves enveloped in a complete 
matting of green ivy^ which makes their ancient windows 
look hke loop-holes. The place where "Amy Robsart" is 
said to have hid herself to watch the Earl of Leicester 
and Queen Elizabeth while walking in the garden, was 
pointed out to me. Eemnants ofthe banquet hall, and 
of the rooms occupied by the Queen while entertained 
here seventeen days by the Earl of Leicester, still ex- 
ist. I saw part of a dungeon with holes in the wall, 
where iron loops were placed, so that prisoners could 
be confined in an upright position, with their backs to 
ed the wall and their hands drawn wide apart as if extend 
ed on a cross. There are some old Norman arches, which 
date back seven hundred years, and are now in excellent 
condition, although they have never been repaired. 
Much of this castle was pulled down -by Cromwell's 
fanatical officers.- Beyond the walls I had a view of & 
level plain, upon which was formerjy a lake, and the 
once famous " pleasant gardens." The old tournament 
5^round was also pointed out to me. The man who 
showed me the ruins lived on the estate when Walter 
Scott stayed here, engaged in writing his novel of Ken- 
ilworth. The estate ia now owned by the Earl of Cla- 
rendon. 



BIRMINGHAM. 193 

The village of Kenilworth is like Warwick and Strat- 
ford, quiet, or dull, as we should call it in America. There 
are no houses of wood — I have seen none in Europe — 
all of brick and stone. No new buildings going up. 
England is finished. 

I had another short railway ride to Coventry. To be 
^' piat into Coventry" is considered equivalent to being 
put out of the pale of society, yet there are thirty-six 
thousand inhabitants in this town. The place must have 
been of some importance in Jack FalstafiTs time,who said, 
while contemplating his ragged soldiers — "I'll not march 
through Coventry with 'em ; that's flat." I got my 
dinner at Kenilworth in the King's Arms ; and here at 
Coventry, I am in the King's Head. I have walked 
over part of the town by gas light. It has many low, 
old fashioned buildings, with bow-windows and peaked 
roofs. Also taverns, ale houses, &c. But as more 
beer and ale are drank here than brandy, there is less 
" tightness" than with us. 

March 30th. — I rode over the outskirts of the cele- 
brated manufacturing town of Birmingham, whose tall 
chimneys fill the atmosphere with coal smoke and make 
the place look dingy enough. They used to make our 
tea pots and soup ladles here, but we have now found 
the way to do thus much for ourselves. After remain- 
ing for an hour in the suburbs of the city, I took a place 
for Glasgow in the express train. Fare $16, for ten 
and a half hours' I'ide ; but then you get with it that 
which is a scarce article in democratic countries — civili- 
ty. It was a handsome country through which the road 
ran ; and a number of manufacturing towns were passed. 
At Preston, three Scotchmen for Glasgow got into the 
carriage where I was ; and soon after two of them. 
placing a cushion on their knees, took out a pack of 
cards and began to play for small stakes. The other 
Scotchman entered into conversation with me ; inform- 
ed me that he had been for many years in the American 
trade; that he had but now returned from London, 
whither he had been to urge upon Parliament the pas- 

17 



194 GLASGOW. 

sage of a bill authorising and assisting the Glasgow peo- 
ple to supply their city with water from Loch Katrine, 
lying about thirty miles away. A committee had been 
appointed by Parliament to analyze the water, and 
they had reported that it was too j»z<re, so much so that 
it would corrode lead pipes and make the use of it dan- 
gerous. The Griasgow man informed me that he had 
sent to New York for some of the Croton, and to other 
places, for the purpose of testing the action of different 
waters on lead pipe. 

We were now riding through the hills of Cumberland 
district in which were situated some romantic lakes, 
once frequented by the small-beer poets of England, 
who thus acquired the name of Lakers. The train soon 
passed near Brougham Hall, the country seat of the 
eminent and eccentric Lord Brougham. 

It had now got to be ten o'clock at night, when the sky 
became illuminated on the horizon by numerous fires, 
making a picture like that of theijurning of Moscow. 
These lights were caused by iron furnaces, which are here 
quite numerous. I saw a dozen oi them in a cluster, 
ail in full blast, and piling up fortunoe for their owners. 

At eleven o'clock I reached Glasgow and took up 
my quarters at the Queen's Hotel, after paying the 
cabman double fare, which they are allowed to exact 
immediately after eleven at night. I was now comfort- 
ably lodged in a nice clean hotel, in the midst of four 
hundred thousand inhabitants. I went to the Coffee 
Eoom to get some provender, and as I opened the 
door, a perfume — precisely such as I had expected— 
saluted my nostrils ; the odor of whiskey. Scotland 
smells of it as England does of mutton. Scotland is 
Whiskeylandr The Coffee Eoomofthe "Queens," I 
found to be the handsomest one attached to any hotel 
I had seen in Europe. It had a high, ornamented 
ceiling; long mirrors, stained glass windows, and was 
finished off about the doors and windows with glossy 
oaken wood. It was rather late for dinner — near mid- 
night — but if a man doth not eat at some time, he will 
verily starve at some time. 



GLASGOW. — -DUMBARTON. 195 

Glasgow, March 2,\st. — Without; stopping to look 
about the city this morning, I hastened to the River 
Clyde and got on board of a small narrow steamer, so 
as to get down to Loch Lomond, which I much desired 
to see. For several miles below the town, the banks of 
the river were occupied by vessels under repair and 
vessels building. The click and clang of hammers 
against hull, and boilers, was heard on every hand. I 
could hardly imagine this to be the stream of which the 
poet eingS) 

" I've waiulercd mony a night in June, 
" Along tl.B banks of Ulydo ; 
" Bencatli tlie bright and bonny moon, 
" Witli Mary by my side." 

The banks of the river are flat and uninteresting. 
The stream widens and shrinks with the tide, so that 
its width varies greatly in a short space of time. After 
I landed from the boat, I had eight miles to perform 
by railway, passing Dumbarton Castle, which is still 
maintained as a fortress ; and the town or village where 
once lived, 

"Dumbarton's bonny belie." 

The road ended at Balloch, where " Roy's wife of 
Aldivalloch" cheated some one as he " came o'er the 
braes of Balloch." 

Here was the foot of Loch Lomond, which appeared 
like a river winding up among the distant highlands. 
The lake is twenty-four miles long, and studded with 
romantic Islands, not so pretty, as I infer from what 
has been told me, as those of our Lake George, but 
still very well for a small place like Scotland. A small 
steamboat which goes up the lake with visitors, had 
left in the morning before I arrived, so I was fain 
to content myself with a near view of one end of the 
" Loch," with swans floating here and there on its 
bosom ; and a distant view of the highlands. "While I 
was standing here, smoke rose up among the hills, and 
I could easily imagine it to proceed from one of the 
signal fires that heralded the gathering of the clans. 

" The Campbells are coming from bonny Loch Lomond." 



19^ AYRSHIRE. 

Beyond Loch Lomond, lies Loch Katrine, which is 
only about eight miles long. History and Poetry have 
made these lakes and highlands famous. 

I returned to Glasgow, of which city I had formed 
a very erroneous idea. I had been led to believe that 
it was a low, nasty, commercial town ; but I find it a 
large, clean city, with some handsome buildings and 
many spacious streets. A handsome brown stone, 
similar to that made use of in New Yo^ k, is here per- 
ceivable, and forms numerous edifices. The Eoyal 
Exchange is a fine building. In front of it stands an 
equestrian statue to the Duke of Wellington, which 
looks like all equestrian statues— which look like nobody. 
This one might as well be called Dick Tui'pin, as the 
Duke of Wellington. In Glasgow is an arcade quite 
in Paris style, and filled with shops. In front of the 
Queen's Hotel is a pretty park, wherein stands a tali 
column in memory of Sir Walter Scott. 

Besides the manufactories situated in the outskirts, 
there are a number scattered through the city, where 
you may hear the grunting and groaning boilers and 
engines hard at work. Glasgow is a solid, substantial, 
thriving town ; and I feel a pleasure in saying so. 

April \st. — A horizontal and perpendicular drizzling 
rain prevails to-day, and an umbrella is- of very little 
use. As I am "^engaged for only a limited number of 
nights," as they say in the play-bills, I must at once 
make my excursion to Ayrshire to see the place from 
whence came Robert Burns. On my way thither by 
"rail," I saw the famous manufacturing city of Paisley, 
with some other places of lesser note. My eyes were 
regaled with many fine farms, though there was on my 
route considerable rough, uncultivated land, covered 
with low bushes. 

An ancient and venerable authority would make it 
appear that Ayrshire is full of " high mountains and 
roaring pools." Now, although the earth is undergo- 
ing perpetual changes under the action of the ele- 
ments, I can hardly believe that the countiy ef Ayr- 



,-.0;^%,^^ '^ ' 




ATK.SHIRE. 197 

shire has so suddenly had its elevations depressed and 
its roaring pools dried up. If any of the latter do 
now exist, they " roar you as gently as a sucking 
dove; an' it were any nightingale." The Scotch au- 
thor above referred to ,has not left us in his auto-biog- 
raphy any clue by which we can form an idea of his 
habits of refreshment, but I have powerful suspicions 
that be was present when 

"Willie brew'd a pock of malt, 
And Rob and Allan came to see," 

and that this description of Ayrshire may have been 
written about that time. I do not directly charge the 
venerable author with being "/ow," but am constrained 
to believe that he had 

" Just a drappie in his ec." 

In two hours after leaving Glasgow, I reached Ayr 
which I found to be a respectable looking place enough. 
A river of the same name runs through the town. Some 
of the people in the streets watched my mevements as 
curiously as if they had been my Yankee countrymen. 
In fact the Scotch resemble the Americans in many re- 
spects. 

A cab ride of two or three miles brought me into the 
country where stood the cottage in which Burns was 
born. It was a small, thatched, whitewashed house, 
with the roof so low that I could and did lay my hand 
upon it. The family who occupy it were at dinner ; 
but the gudewife came to the door and invited me to 
walk in. The gudeman and the children continued 
eating while I surveyed the two apartments, com- 
prising all the inner portion of the house as it was in 
the days of Burns' father. Behind the man's back 
as he sat at table, was a recess in the wall. In that 
hole Bobby Burns was born. There was an old fire 
place in the room which dates from an early day ; 
the floor is of stone. The ceiling is a modern addi- 
tion ; the roof and rafters being formerly exposed to 
view. 

The woman took me into a capacious refreshment 

IT* 



198 AYRSHIRE. 

room, which has lately been erected and attnched to 
the house, for the comfort of the many visitors who 
come down here in summer. This apartment was 
furnished in modern style, and appeared quite unlike 
tlie two plain rooms I had just quitted. 

I rode on further to see the kirk of AUoway. The 
sky looked threatening, although the weather had given 
tokens of a "change of heart," 

" Yon murky clwul is- foni with rain, 
I sec it driving o'er the phiiii." 

Kirk Alloway is quite diminutive in size. It is of a 
rough stone, its roof gone, and it stands with its "gable 
end" to the road. Upon the nearest peak still hangs a 
bell about as large as a pumpkin. The sidowalls of 
the church are about ten feet high. The interior of 
the building is divided by a wall into two small i-ooms ; 
in the centre of the largest of which stands the tomb of 
some person. It required a powerful s?tretch of the im- 
magination to n\ake either of these apartments large 
enough for a dance of witches, for it would hardly suiBce 
as a playground for the children of faries. Yet it was 
here that Tam O'Shanter saw the "warlocks and witches 
in a dance." And when he was discovered it was down 
the very road which I was travelling, that he was pursu- 
ed by the "hellish crew," one of whom pulled oti' the tail 
of his "grey mare Meg" just as she was springii>g upon 
the old bridge over tiie Doon, where Tam was safe, 
for witches cannot cross running water. The Doon 
is only about twenty feet wide, but it is quite a rapid 
stream. The " auld brig," built of rough stone, is 
higher in themiddlo than at the ends, being built over 
a single arch. 

Between the Brig of Doon and Kirk Alloway stands 
Burn's mouuumenr. There is a room upon which stands 
a circular row of ^'olumns supporting a roof. It is a 
very decent monument. In the room is a glass case, 
and within that lies a small bible given by Burns to 
his Highland JSlary. This little old bible would drive 
all the book collectors out of their wits (if they had, 
any) could it once be put up at auction. 




BURNS MAUSOLEUM DUMFRIES. 



AYKSHIRE. 199 

" Tam O'Shanter and Souter Johnny," sculptured 
in dark stone by Thom, were exhibited to me. Copies 
of this work have been shown in America. They are 
a jolly looking pair, Tam and the Souter. The latter, a 
dry looking wag, is telling one of his funniest stories 
at which Tam is laughing heartily. No wonder 
that 

" Tam lo'ed him like a very brither ; 
They had been fou fur weeks thegither." 

I wish that the sculptor had tried his hand once 
again, and represented these worthies at the close of 
their carouse, when 

" Souter was fou, but Tam was g-lorious ! 
O^cr all the hills of life victorious." 

The locality in which I stood was a famous one, made 
so by the genius of Burns, but it was on a very small 
scale, like many other celebrated places of which we 
read, and form large ideas. The old Kirk Allowayisa 
small affair; the distance to the Brig of Boon is rather 
short for a race ; the bridge itself is not a bit wider 
than necessary, and its length of very little account 
when youlearn that it spans a brook not much broader 
than a useful ditch for draining wet land. Yet people 
will come to this spot for many a long year after you 
and I are gone. 

Burns died and was buried at Bumfries, about sixty 
miles from Aj^r. Over these quiet country scenes he 
had wandered and looked at the Carrick Hills (not 
mountains) which now I saw. Here, while in de- 
spondency, he might have sung, 

" While thus I wander, pressed with care, 
Along the gloomy banks of Ayr." 

Poor Bobby ! what evil had he committed in some 
former state of existence that he should be afflicted in 
this with the sensitive soul of a poet, with a ferocious 
amativeness, with his nation's passion for grog and with 
an ever stringent money market. 

Somewhat thoughtful and absorbed, I left "the banks 
and bra^s of bonny Boon," and rode back to Ayr,, 



200 EDINBURGH. 

which place I reached in time for the train. Arriving 
at Glasgow, I partook of a " hasty plate of soup," put 
my affiiirs in order, and taking the cars for Edinburgh, 
fell asleep for two and a half hours and awoke in the 
"modern Athens." Here I became an inmate of the 
Caledonian Hotel. 

Edinburgh, A^jril 2d. — " Edinborough," as the Scotch 
call it, contains nearly two hundred thousand people. 
The city is divided by a deep ravine into the Old Town 
and New Town. The latter is clean and handsome, with 
a number of small green parks, comfortable dwelhng 
houses, and monuments and statues placed here and there 
at conspicuous corners. Upon the edge of the ravine, in 
the new town, stands the monument of Sir Walter 
Scott — the noblest monument I ever saw. It resembles 
the tower and steeple of a church set upon a huge pe- 
destal. The statue of Scott in a sitting posture, read- 
ing a book, is seen in the tower. While I was looking 
at it, a little bird flew in and alighted on the arm of the 
marble man, where he remained for some time. The 
monument is of a handsome brown stone, of most taste- 
ful and elaborate architecture, and is about two hundred, 
feet high. 

The ravine or valley between the old and new towns, 
is laid out into public walks and gardens. The railway 
runs through the middle of it. 

Near Scott's monument is the Royal Institution of 
Arts and Sciences, a fine edifice of grey stone, remind- 
ing one of the prints of the Parthenon at Athena. 
Directly in the rear of this building, another, quite in 
the Grecian style, is being erected of a -whitish stone. 
It is to be devoted to literary and scientific uses. 

Looking across the ravine, you see the Castle perch- 
ed', upon a great hill of rock, several hundred feet in 
height. It is a strong fortress and commands the entire 
town. W-h6n I had crossed over to it and was examin- 
ing its exterior, a man joined me and pointed out some 
of its outside notable features. First, the window of 
the room where the Queen of Scots was confined as ^ 



EDINBURGH. 201 

prisoner ; and where she gave birth to her son James, 
who was let down afterwards from the window in a 
basket. Then he pointed to other spots about the old 
fortress, each celebrated for something which I now 
forget. The Castle just now is thinly garrisoned, the 
soldiers having been sent off to Turkey. 

In the valley I had just crossed, the man called my 
attention to a dwelling once occupied by Allan Ramsay, 
author of the "Gentle Shepherd." 

Looking in another direction, the eye ranged over 
the roofs of the old town, with the Pentland Hills in 
the distance. To the left of the view, lies a mountain 
which contains the Salisbury Crags and "Arthur's Seat." 
At the foot of the mountain, or big hill, is the cottage 
of Jeanie Deans, made immortal by Walter Scott. 

We went down from the castle hill, and he shewed 
me the Duke of Argyle's old house ; dark and dingy 
as a fortress. I was then taken into a graveyard,, 
where many of the old Covenanters lie buried.. Then 
we walked down the street into a steep lane where 
stood a wretched looking old house, in which Walter 
Scott was born. He pointed out the house of Mary of 
Guise, and several other curiosities, until we reached 
the outskirts of the city, where the grass begins, and 
where stood the cottage of Jeanie Deans, small and 
low like the one in which Burns was born, but with a 
tiled roof The cottage is occupied by two old maids, 
who refuse to show it to gentlemen unless accompanied 
by ladies. The Edinburgh women love to defame each 
other, just like the females of other cities and coun- 
tries. 

The Laird of Dumbiedike's house is to the left of the 
cottage. He, also, was made famous by Sir Walter. 

We now made for "Arthur's Seat" — so called from 
being often visited by Prince Arthur — eight hundred 
and twenty-two feet high in the air. A good road, 
called the Queen's Road, winds around part of the 
mountain, from whence beautiful views of a pretty 
country are obtained. A small loch or two lay beneath 



202 EDINBURGH. 

me ; nud further on was the Frith of Forth ; the 
battle gTonnd of Preston Pans and the Lammermuir 
Hills. The lands of the Duke of Bueoleueh, and 
another titled old cock, whose name I forget, were 
pointed out to me by my guide. 

A little loch, or lake, "was on our right, away up on 
the raountaius, as we turned from the road to climb to 
the pinnacle of Arthur's Seat. We should term such 
a little lake iu America, a /;o»f?, but big words, like 
military titles with us, are iu Europe often applied to 
small tilings. 

The view from the top of the mountain was very 
pleasant. It would have been grand but for a haze 
which curbed our view in the distance. Not the least 
pleasant prospect, was to see the climbing parties of 
lads and lasses beneath us, who were laughing and en- 
joying their iSabbath holiday. They could not have 
been " Scotch Presbyterians," else their faces would 
have been as long as your arm. God makes nature to 
smile, the lambs to play and the birds to sing and sport 
on Sundays. Man makes himself look grim and gloomy. 
Man wants kicking. 

"We descended the hill, and passing Jeanie Deans' 
well, shaped our course for Holyrood Palace. This is 
not an overpowering piece of architecture to look at, 
though the editice does possess considerable historical 
interest. The grounds attached to it are small but 
pretty. The apartn:ents occupied by Queen Victoria, 
when she visits Edinburgh, were pointed out to me; 
also an old chapel, now belonging to the palace, which 
I w^as told was seven hundred years of age. At the 
front of the palace, or near it, was ' the turret where 
Queen Mary was taking her repast when David Rizzio 
was stabbed. The garden where the Queen used to 
walk, is near this. 

Leaving the old palace, we went up the Canongate, 
seeing the house of Regent Murray, and near it a tree 
planted by Mary Queen of Scots. Also a Tolbooth, 
or prison, erected in King David's time. Also the 



EDINBURGH. 203 

house of John Knox, now used as a " grocery and pro- 
vision store," having one window devoted to pipes and 
tobacco. Also the "Wiiite Close, a court or lane in 
which now stands a building used as a tavern in the 
days of James the Sistli. I saw, also, one of the tallest 
houses in Edinburgh, situated on a side-hill, and being 
eleven stories high on one side. 

We met many people coming down the " High street" 
from "Kirk." And when I had crossed over to the new 
town, the good folks were also pouring along the side- 
walk. The Scotchmen truly dress and look very like the 
Americans. They are not a handsome race of men, 
but more respectable and less bombastic than the 
English. They assimilate with us more easily than 
the other subjects of Great Britain. A decided im- 
provement would be effected in the Scotch, if they 
could be rendered less prejudiced. But you might 
as well endeavor to separate a Scotchman from his 
prejudices, as an Englishman from his conceit sji^ pom- 
posity^ a Frenchman from his cafe, and heartlessness, or 
a Yankee from his Jtat and prying curiosity. 

The Scotchwomen are not handsome, but aj)pear more 
modest in their deportment than the Enghsh. They re- 
semble the English in one respect — they evidently stand 
No. 2, in their families. The husband is, as he sould b«, 
No. 1, Now this is not so with us. The contrast 
strikes me more forcibly abroad, where I have met 
several American families, in every one of which the 
" ^''^^y mare was the better horse." Our little girls 
too, of fourteen and sixteen years of age, put them- 
selves forward in the hotels and other public places 
in Europe, and hardly wait to bo spoken to first. 
There is a soft spot in the head or heart of the Amer- 
ican. Let him tread Vv'ith caution. Herodotus tells 
us of a people in Egypt where the women subdued 
the men, and compelled them to perform all the house- 
hold offices, while they managed the out-of-door busi- 
ness, and all the affairs of the state. And yet Horace 
Greely and other ugly old feminines, are continually 



204 MELROSE. ABBOTSFORD. 

crying out for Women's Eights ! Now, I say, let the 
press from Maine to California, raise a new banner, 
and inscribe upon it " Men's Eights 1" Americans! 
look your peril boldly in the face ! ! Let us gird up 
our loins and be up and stirring ! ! ! Liberty or death. 

April 'id. — Edinburgh, like ancient Home, is built 
upon bills. To-day I ascended the Calton Hill, from 
whence is a good view of the city, and also of a large 
tract of country. Upon this hill are monuments to 
Playfair, Dugald Stewart and Nelson ; and near the 
hill is one to Burns. Upon the summit of the Calton 
is a front of columns of an unfinished building, which 
looks quite like an ancient ruin. An engineer, with 
seven shillings and a bottle of whiskey in his pocket, 
came up here a few days ago, and deliberately blew 
out his brains with a pistol. An indentation on a board 
fence made by a piece of his skull was shown to me. 

Edinburgh is one of the neatest and quietest cities 
I have yet seen. Just the town for a hterary man to 
reside in. It lights up well at night, when hills and 
dales of lamps in the streets and hghts in the windows 
variegate the new town ; while< on the other side of 
the valley, in the old town, stretches an illuminated 
hill side, checked to the right by the dark mass of rock 
upon which stands the castle. Even the pohcemen of 
the city are lit up at night ; each of them carry a small 
lamp attached to his belt, which afar off resemble glow 
worms. 

I went down by rail to-day to the rusty old stone 
village of Melrose. There I took a vehicle and rode 
through a hilly romantic country to view Abbotsford, 
the residence of the great Sir Walter Scott. The 
house is hid by some trees, on passing which you come 
to a small lodge, from whence you get near a view of 
Abbotsford standing down in the valley. The house is 
half castle and half house; just such a dwelhng as you 
would suppose a man of Sir Walter's pecuhar tastes 
would build for himself. Just behind it runs the Eiver 
Tweed ; and beyond that the country rises up into a 



ABBOTSFORD. 205 

range of handsome hills. Scott owned no land beyond 
the Tweed, his possessions lying on the other side of 
the high road, where lies a large tract of woodland, 
the purchase of which helped to involve him in a 
mass of debt under which he struggled so manfully in 
his last years. He died with the harness on his back. 

" Charge, Chester, charge. On, Stanley, on ! 
Were the last words of Marmion." 

There is admittance to Abbotsford on a certain day 
of the week, to see the great author's study, his curi- 
osities, &c. Not being able to wait for the day to ar- 
rive, I contented myself with an outside view of the 
establishment. 

Abbotsford is now the property of Mrs. Hope, Sir 
Walter's grandchild, as I was informed, who with 
her husband and family reside here the most of the 
year. 

I rode back to Melrose, but did not go four milea 
beyond it to Dryburgh Abbey where Scott is buried. 
My vehicle was an open one, and the day was exceed- 
ingly raw and chilly. I should feel ashamed to look 
my brother spirits in the face, on arriving at the 
" spheres," after having been frozen to death in April. 

I had taken some provender at the tavern at Mel- 
rose, and sat by the fire listening to the conversation of 
the Scotchmen who came from an exhibition of hand- 
some young horses, or as one of them called it, a " stal- 
lion comparison," at which prizes were awarded for the 
horses best fitted to make hunters of. " Ken" for 
"know," and " ay" for "yes," was used by some of 
the talkers, though in general their English was better 
than that of Englishmen, and nearly as pure as ours. 
Much was said about the various fairs which had been 
and were to be held about the country; and the price 
of wool and wheat seemed to interest all. Between 
whiles, these Scotchmen would ring the bell and call 
for " toddy ;" the waiter ahvaj^s bringing whiskey, hot 
water and sugar. How a w^hiskey barrel sinks before 
these Presbyterian people ! 

About an hour before the train was expected along 

18 



206 M E L R O S fi . 

on its return to Edinburgh, I went to the farther ex- 
tremity of the village to see the Abbey. 

" If you would see Melrose aright, 

" You nmsi view it by the moon's pale light." 

Yet as I could not wait for the romantic liour, I did 
the best I could. I found the old Scotchman who has 
the key which admits you through the gate of the high 
fence surrounding the Abbey. This man's dialect was 
very rich ; 156S was " fafteen hunder saxty aught/' and 
so on. He pointed out all the remarkable features of 
the place, talking all the while, and continually stoop- 
ing to pick from the grass the twigs which the jackdaws 
had thrown down. A crowd of these birds were circ- 
ling about the ruined pinnacles of the building and mak- 
ing a great commotion. The man shewed me the marks 
of Cromwell's cannon balls on the building. — Warwick, 
Kenihvorth, Melrose — Cromwell has banged them all. 
I saw within the walls of the Abbe}^, the graves of King 
Alexander the Second, and Michael Scott the wizard; 
and a small flat stone under which is said to lie the 
heart of Robert the Bruce. My guide told me that the 
Abbey was built in the time of David I, and that it 
was now about seven hundred years old. 

Melrose is an exceedingly fine old ruin. The archi- 
tectui-e of the high peaked windows and the lofty aisle, 
and the workmanship displayed thereon, are very rich 
and elaborate. The arches are grand and well propor- 
tioned. Ivy hangs over a part of the ruin and by no 
means diminishes the effect. 

When the fat bucks and pretty lasses grew scarce 
in this part of the country, then Melrose Abbey became 
n ruin. 

After much conversation, the old man said to me, 

" Ye'U be an American ?" 

" Yes ; how did you know ?" 

" I always ken an American by his tongue. As 
mony Americans comes down here in summer, as ony 
ither people." 

I bade the old man good-by and left this part of the 
village, where the houses are so low that you can 'ay 



EDINBURGH. 207 

your chin upon the eaves and whistle " Auld Lang 
Syne." 

April ith. — In summer, when the weather is fine, 
tourists go by private vehicle to Roslin Castle, an hour 
and a half's drive from Edinburgh, where are many 
mteresting marks of history. Stirling and its castle 
are about an hour's journey by railway from this city; 
and near them lies the famous Battle Field of Ban- 
nockburn. The weather now is so raw and chilly, that 
I shall attempt no further excursions in Scotland. 

Having procured an order to see the "regalia of 
Scothind," of which I have heard so much, I went to- 
day to the castle. After passing the sentinels and wind- 
ing my way among high walls defended b}'' great guns, 
I was shewn into a darkened room in which a single 
small pendant lamp was burning. Under this dim 
light, in a glass case, was a jewel or two, three or four 
long swords, and a crown standing on a velvet cushion. 
This comprised the far-famed regalia of Scotland. — 
Gammon ! ! 

The garrison of the castle is composed of only twelve 
soldiers — red coats. There are some heavy pieces of 
cannon ; and one that seems to have been forged in 
" Mons," wherever that may be, in 148G ; taken by the 
English from the Scotch at the siege of some castle, 
and placed in the Tower of London; but afterwards 
restored to Scotland by George IV. I judged this gun 
to be at its muzzle as large as a flour barrel and -with a 
proportionate length. 

Leaving the castle, I went down the High Street of 
old Edinburgh, through Canongate Street to Ilolyrood 
Palace. The houses I passed, were mostly old dark 
stone or brick edifices, some of them six or seven stories 
high ; and not a few standing as the ancient citizens of 
Albany, N. Y./ were said to stand — " with their gable 
ends to the street." The edifices in this part of Edin- 
burgh, once occupied by famous characters in the olden 
time, would disgust the snobbishness of the present age; 
yet I have no doubt they were once very comfortable 
dwellings. 



208 EDINBrHGH. 

A party of visitors was just entering the palacOj so I 
joined them and we were shewn sorae of the rooms by 
pei-sons prohibited from taking fees on " any pretence 
whatever,"' but who have books to sell you. SVe saw 
the i-oom where the conspirators met, and the narrow 
stairway up which they went to Queen Mary's apart- 
ments where they found and assassinated Eizzio ; and 
the pretended marks of his blood are t till pointed out 
upon the tioor over which his murderers dragged him. 

The rooms were excessively shabby ; and one could 
hardly imagine that they were ever lit for royalty. The 
furniture — and there is very little of it left — was in a 
ruined and lousy condition. Charles the First's bed, 
Queen Mary's bed, chairs. Ctc, were covered with faded 
gilding, embividery and tinsel. On the walls were por- 
traits of Jane Shore and Nell Gwynne — neither of them 
ugly. Lord Darnley's armor and big leather boots, we 
saw. The room in which the Queen was taking supper, 
and where Kizzio is said to have received his death 
wound, was small, ill-shaped and inconveixient. 

Attacheii to the palace is an old chapel in ruins, 
somewhat after the style of Melrose Abbey, some of its 
architectural features being mtich admired. Here the 
spot where Lord Darnley and Queen Mary were mar- 
ried, was shewn us ; and the door-sill under which the 
"noble lord'' caused Eizzio to be buried, so that the 
Queen would be compelled to walk over him when she 
went to "Kirk." A nimiber of old inhabitants are 
buried in the chapel, and covered by slabs laid tlatupon 
the ground. On some of the slabs, death's heads and 
cross bones were carved; and upon the grave of a 
Knight Templar, two swords were chiselled. The chap- 
el is a romantio ruin on a small scale ; and will, I pre- 
sume never be restored. 

April 5tJi. — I tind that I can go up stairs to my room 
in this Scotch hotel, Avithotit being savagely stared at 
as one is in England by the brazen faced chambermaids, 
who are represented to tis by some travelers, as neat 
and natty, with their little caps upon their heads. The 
"cherry cheeked Putties'' of barmaids too^ we have i^ 



NEWCASTLE. 209 

wrong notion of; for they appear to be no better than 
they should be ; and as for rosy cheeks, they haven't got 
'em. Among the lower orders of English women, rosy 
cheeks are scarce as they are with us. Great "poetic 
licence" has been taken by writers on cheeks. 

England is fading and losing her cherry cheeks. In 
one hundred years she may be under the protection of 
the United States, as South Carohna now is. Her 
rotten church and state union will soon fall asunder by 
its own weight. The people will not starve forever that 
they may pay oppressive taxes for the ^support of a 
kingfy government and a scandalous aristocracy. 
"There is a good time coming." AVe can easily see 
what England is, but she does not know us. She will 
not hear the truth, for her conceit and jealousy will not 
permit it. She gets her notion of America from Marry- 
att the tippler, Trollope the bawd, Fanny Kemble the 
fema'e rowdy, and Dickens, toadeater to the aristccracy. 
Must we be compelled to "take the conceit out of her" 
for the third time ? 

Farewell, Scotland ! I am sorry that England got 
the better of you. 

Ten o'clock A. M. — I took the express train for a sis 
hours ride to York. Passed through Berwick, New- 
castle and other towns. There is no use of " carrying 
coals to Newcastle." You are conscious of coal always 
burning and coal to be burned. The atmosphere is 
full of smoke rising from thousands of chimneys ; and 
a veil like that over London hangs over this town. The 
people breathe coal, and perhaps breakfast and dine on 
it. Were the Queen to make them a visit, they would 
treat her to a coal collation. 

At Newcastle the railway runs over a viaduct, so 
high that the roofs of the houses are at some distance 
beneath. These airy roads are all very well when you 
have a confidence in their solidity. The English rail- 
ways are better built than ours ; and there alwaj-s being 
two tracks, accidents are less frequent. Besides, there 
are not heaps of laws left unenforced, as with us. • 

In travelling to day through the agricultural districts 

18* 



210 YORK, 

I was struck by the peculiar appeapnce of the plougb. 
ed fields, as I had been before. The furrows are not 
deep and are as straight as if marked out with a car- 
penter's, chalk line. In some fields, there are old fur- 
rows about eight feet apart ; for the purpose of drain- 
age,, perhaps. I have observed the same in France. 

At four o'clock in the- aftei'noon,, I reached the ancieafr 
city of York,, where are forty thousand inhabitants and 
twenty-four churches. 8onQ<e of the latter are quite 
old and weather stained; and one of them' has a bpam 
projecting over the sidewalk, fifteen feet from the ground, 
at the end of which is a large two-faced clock. There 
are some antiq[ue houses with their second stories pro- 
jecting over the first, and the third over the second,, 
rendering them in, appearance rather top-heavy. Part 
of the old v/all of the city and several af its gateways- 
remain. Clifibrd's Tower, the fragment of an old castle, 
stands within the yard of the- prison. I went into the 
enclosure and got an outside view merely, it being after 
show hours. The keeper told me that near one thous- 
^and six hundred Jews had perished at one time in the 
old castle by a fire, supposed to have been lighted by 
themselves. He showed me a yard, where, what he 
called the "first class debtors," are allowed to walk. 
These are they, I suppose, who are in for respectable 
amounts — big railroad and bank swindles. He turned 
to C'iiflbrd's Tower, and said that while repairing it 
lately, the workmen found some cannoa balls embedded 
in the walls. I remarked that I supposed Oliver Crom.- 
well had banged this, as he had nearly all the old castles 
in the country. He said no, it M^as before Cromwell's 
time ; he thought it was done by the Romans ! I 
managed to keep my countenance until I got away from, 
him, when I am free to confess that I cackled. 

I roturned to my hotel — the "Black Swan'^ — an old 
tavern that was in full bloom forty years ago. Here I 
was making enquiries of the waiter about the age of 
york Minster, the church I had come to see,.especially. 
He replied that portions of it had been burned once or 
twice, but the main building was very old, having been. 



YORK. 21i 

built about one thousand two hundred years before 
Christ ! This he told me in the purest good faith and 
most simple English ignorance ; yet I was forced to 
smile, but managed my grin so that he did not suspect 
the cause of it. 

York Minster is prized as the fii'st cathedral church 
in England. It suits my eye perhaps, taking an ex- 
terior view, as well as any edifice I ever saw. It is of 
rich architecture, and of all kinds of shape — round, 
square, octagonal — with towers, battlements and pin- 
nacles; projecting chapels; many lofty pointed stained 
glass windows, one of which I guess to be seventy feet 
high. If there is breadth to the regular irregular mass, 
then it is great ; if there is length, then it is about two 
or three times as long "as the biggest church in the city 
of New- York. The color of the edifice is gray and 
time-stained. 

Service was being performed in the main chapel, and 
the keepers could not at this time show visitors through 
the interior; so I walked about by myself; looked up 
and through the vast white painted aisles ; up to the 
roof of the inner square central tower; at the ceilings, 
ornamented with oak ; at the massive carved furniture 
and embellishments — for there is no marble or tinsel 
ornament — all is plain ; and at the many stained win- 
dows. I went into the chapel, where were two priests 
in white robes, one of whom was officiating before a 
congregation composed of eleven women. Service is 
held here every afternoon from four to five o'clock. 
"When it was concluded, it was past the hours of ex- 
hibition, so that I must wait till to-morrow morning for 
further particulars regarding this great church. 

April Qth. — York Minster is considered to be the 
finest specimen of Gothic architectui'e in Europe. Part 
of it is six hundred and twenty years old ; but there 
are Noi-man arches in the crypt two hundred years 
older than that. It is five hundred and twenty-four 
feet in length, and of various widths. The massive 
central tower is two hundred and thirteen feet high. 
The church has over one hundred stained glass windows 



212 NOTTINGHAM. 

— one of whicli is seventy-five feet high and thii*ty-two 
feet wide. I was shewn through the church to the 
monuments, one of which is to the only Enghsh arch- 
bishop who had his head cut off. In the principal 
chapel, the stand on which the priest lays his book 
during service, is entirely composed of brass, the top 
being a gilded eagle with outspread wings. The organ 
is very large and cost near fifty thousand dollars. Por- 
tions of the church have been destroyed at different 
times by fire, and rebuilt again. The last fire was 
caused by a man, supposed to be somewhat insane, who 
secreted himself in the church during service and after- 
ward collected all the bibles and prayer books and set 
fire to the organ, the " buzzing" of which he gave as a 
cause for his act. So much for one of the finest 
churches in Europe. 

The Yorkshire people are considered very sharp — 
a sort of English down Easters ; yet they do not ap- 
pear very intelligent with all their cunning. It took me 
Bome time to ascertain the population, and the names 
of the two streams — the Foss and the Ouse — which 
run through the place. The schoolmaster evidently left 
them before giving lessons on history and statistics. 

In my journey to-day from York I passed through a 
tubular bridge for the first time. 

An Englishman pointed out to mo the seat of one 
Musters, who married Byron's Mary, and treated her 
like an Enc^lish brute as he was. 

Three tj'' clock, P.M. — ^Nottingham, where laces and 
other things are made. The appearance of the town 
is not very interesting to a stranger. I went to the 
" Maypole" tavern, but it was full. Next to the "White 
Lion," w^here his " most gracious majesty" was pleased 
to take me in. This hotel was full of " commercial tra- 
vellers" — rowdies., that I have described in another 
place. 

Newstead Abbey, formerly the residence of Lord 
Byron, is eleven miles from this place. Hearing that 
it was very much modernized and changed by its pres- 
ent proprietor, I abandoned my intention of visiting it. 



LONDON. 213 

Byron is buried at a village seven miles from Notting- 
ham. He and Tom Moore and Bulwer, have the honor 
of being the great Youth corrupters of the present 
age. The Prench novelists have helped them some- 
vs^hat. 

At twelve o'clock on the following day, I took the 
" mixed express" for London, which Babel I reached 
at four in the afternoon. 

I have been much pleased with my excursion through 
the country, and only regret that it could not have been 
made at a later day, when the spring was more de- 
veloped. 

London, April 8. — The town is still smoky and hazy- 
Had this people our fine chraate,what would they say? 
Only just what now they say, that the Enghsh climate 
— and the English everything — is the best in the world. 
Yes, they have the best of many things ; first class 
gouts,exquisite rheumatisms and unparalelled consump- 
tions. 

I have at last eaten of the far-famed English luxury, 
the " white bait" fish, which is in appearance, between 
a worm and a shrimp. Nearly a peck of these tiny fish 
was brought to me on a great dish, and the fish was 
supposed to be only one of several courses. I was 
once more taken for a native. I tasted the white bait, 
but put them aside at once as a failure. The English 
people eat them, cannibal like, with their " in'ards," 
tail and all. 

The English might say, with some of their favorite 
phrases, " Dear me !" how very " extraordinary,'''' not 
to like so " nice" a fish ! 

" Why let 'em fay it ! 
They can't but say"— I had the fish ! 

I went to-day into the"Temple,"a collection of courts^ 
lanes or alleys — of which London is full — inhabited by 
the lawyers. There is a venerable church within the 
precincts, not often frequented by the lawyers, else the 
profession would be apt to lose some of its members. 

Newgate Prison, or " Old Bailey" is still in existence 
in London. This prison is celebrated by many of the 



214 LONDON. 

literary men of England, some of whom have been con- 
fined within its walls. It is a low building, with few 
windows, and bears the marks of age. 

April 9. — Forty minutes by railway to Hampton 
Court Palace, once the sumptuous residence of Cardi- 
nal Wolsey. It is built of briclc, with several court- 
yards, and covers considerable space. " Service" was 
in full blast in the chapel, it being Sunday, so visitors 
could not be admitted to see the curiosities until after 
two hours. This visitor beino- unwillino- to submit to 

■T 

such delay, returned by first train to Lonaon. 

Strolled into St. James's Park, which is larger than 
I thought it last fall, as I then saw only the jiortion in 
front of Buckingham Palace. The weather is warm ; 
the flowers, grass and trees are beginning to show 
themselves ; people are rambling and children playing 
over the green grass, which is here considered as a 
carpet to walk on, not a thing to look at ; and the place 
appears very pleasant, when you consider that it is in 
London. 

April 10. — The Crystal Palace has been removed 
from Hyde Park to Sydenham, a few miles from Lon- 
don. After leaving the city and getting fairly outside 
of the fog, I found this to be a pleasant day. The 
Palace is situated on elevated ground, and commands 
a fine pi'ospect — English scenery — hill and green dale; 
with here, perhaps, the grey spire of a church rising 
above the trees, and there, perhaps, a windmill on a 
hill. 

The Cr3'Stal Palace is not yet completed, as large 
additions are being made to it. The whole, when fin- 
ished, will cover, it is said, twenty-five acres. Say 
fifteen acres,' and you will come much nearer the mark, 
for ill these matters gi-eat lies are told. The present 
building is large enough, but not as handsome in shape 
as our Crystal Palace in New York. It is destined for 
a great show-room, or Museum, where a little of every- 
thing is to be exhibited. The expense of the aifair will 
be enormous ; and the result, most likely, a failure. 
"When in Naples, I saw men taking plaster casts of 



LONDON. 215 

statues for exhibition in this Crystal Palace. The pro- 
jectors intend to render it unnecessary for sightseers 
to visit any other country but England. 

I have been thinking of a sail on the Thames, through 
the whole extent of London ; but have been forced to 
abandon the excursion as I have not yet learned to pe- 
netrate the fog with my eyes so as to see the shores 
from the boat. There are doubtless certain days in the 
year when the fog draws off, permitting such a trip to 
be of much interest to one who wishes to form a whole 
idea of this vast city 

Dined to-day at " His Lordship's Larder ;" a demo- 
cratic eating house between the Bank and St. Paul's. 
The charges were quite reasonable and the fare com- 
mendable. The other day I dined at a rather celebrated 
chop-house, the " Blue Post," Cork-street, near Bur« 
linglon Arcade. They here give you a mutton chop 
beautifully done up. I notice in passing the streets, 
some eating-houses, or taverns, with queer names — 
euch as the " Hen and Chickens," " Cock and Bottle," 
&c. In the Strand are two taverns, both claiming to 
be on the site of " Nell Gwynne's Dairy." 

The " Easter Holidays" being near, the theatres all 
stop giving plays, but get up " promenade concerts" 
at cheap admission. At these concerts you can sit 
Btill, or walk up and down, look at the ladies and hear 
noisy music. Parliament also adjourns for the Easter 
Hohdays, and " the boys go out to play." 

April ilth. 

" Thj' Palace Windsor, and thy green retreats, 
" At once the Monarch's and the Muses seats " — 

^his castle is about an hour's ride by " rail" from the 
city. Through Londonthe road ran upon an elevation, so 
that the passengers could look into the attic windows 
and sec what the chambermaids were about. The 
day in the country was warm, balmy and somewhat 
blue. Persuaded by the atmospihe^re in .London, I had 
taken an umbrella, but it was of no use. The fruit 
trees were all in blossom ; and the green grass hum- 
med with happiness. Passed through Hounslow, whose 



216 WINDSOR. 

heath was once infested by robbers. The steam-engine 
has 

'•'Whistled thorn down the wind 

To prey at fortune." 

And the descendants of the foot -pads now flourish 
in London as bankers, lawyers, hotel keepers, &c. 

Windsor Castle, with ivy elirabing npon it, rose 
above the trees to my left. It is built of a clean, well pre- 
served bluish-grey stone, and is of all kinds of shapes, 
with a variety of towers, court yards and outworks, 
covering a large extent of soil. It was erected by 
diiierent sovereigns, piece by piece, until it is now 
considered large enough for the tattest monarch. Only 
a few of the rooms are exhibited; and an order is re- 
quired to see even these. Quite a party had collected; 
and we were marched through some of the ante rooms, 
the guard-room, the banquet hall, the presence cham- 
ber, &c. There was gilding, high ceilings, with oak- 
work, paintings, chandeliers, tine furniture, &c.,.but on 
the whole the exhibition was below those of palaces in 
France, where you are treated to such a quantity of 
paintings and statuary. The appartments of Queen 
V ictoria, now in use, are closed against visitors. AVe 
Baw ancient arms and armor, and tlags and banners ; 
and in the guard room stood ten feet of the stump 
of the mast of the " Victory,"' as large as a hogshead, 
and at its foot the cannon ball which had made a hole 
directly through it. 

Three of us ascended to the top of the large round 
tower in the centre of the castle, where we found a sub- 
altern officer who pointed out to us some of the fea- 
tures of the great AYindsor Park and extended land- 
scape on the other side of the castle. Yonder in the 
distance, wa9 the house once occupied by AYilliam 
Penn ; there Harrow on the Hill, where Byron and 
other celebrated men received their first rudiments ; 
and near by, jast across the Thames — ^liere a tritling 
stream, as at Hampton Court — was Eton and its 
college. 

After descending from the tower I crossed a court- 



WINDSOR. 217 

yard, and had hardly passod the sentinel at the gate, 
before one of the seedy guides who infest all plaees of 
interest in Europe, approached and said, 

" You can now get an order, Sir, to see the Queen's 
ponies." 

" I don't want to see the Queen's ponies." 

" Or you can go into the chapel." 

" I don't want to go into tlie chapel." 

The man walked oif. I inquired the way to ''Vir- 
ginia Water," which is, I believe a small pond in Wind- 
sor Park, and was told that it was six miles away. 
The subaltern told me that the park contained four 
thousand acres. Either way it is large enough to fur- 
nish food, if well tilled, for thousands of the starving 
poor of overpeopled England — where the eldest son 
of a rich aristocrat must heir the title and the wealth, 
be he knave, tyrant or fool, and the rest of the family 
be what they can — beggars, perhaps, 

I did not go to the pond, but thought I could 
see it in my mind's eye; a little spot of water, in its 
centre an artificial island, whittled into an oval form, 
or made exactly square, and a rosebush at each cor- 
ner. It is so easy, in gardening, to banish Nature. 

Took a grand exterior view of the castle as I 
sauntered through the hard-soap village of Windsor. 
The royal castle is certainly fine and imposing; and 
with its great park, inhabited by deer and other 
animals, it is well worthy to be the [summer resid- 
ence of any sovereign. 

• Windsor town smells powerfully of hops. This 
under the very nose of royalty augurs that even the 
Queen herself would not faint at the sight of a pint of 
'"alfand 'alf." 

I crossed the bridge over the Thames to see Eton col- 
lege, but it offered nothing remarkable to my inspec- 
tion. The village of Eton was of no account. So in 
due time I returned to London. 

A member of parliament can give only one order a 
day to persons who wish to hear the debates, and be- 
ing now near a recess, these orders are in great de- 

19 



218 LONDON. 

inaad. I was fortunate in getting one from a person at 
my hotel, who was acquainted with one of the Irish 
members boarding there ; so I went late this after- 
noon, but found the seats of the small gallery of the 
House of Commons all occupied — and no one is allow- 
ed to stand. After waiting awhile, one of the occu- 
pants came out and I was passed in. The hall of the 
House is finished oif with oak; and has a high ceiling, 
also ornamented with oak. Part of this ceiling is of 
glass, above which the gas lights are placed that light 
the hall below at night. In the centre of the hall stands 
a large table covered with papers ; on each side of 
this sit the two parties — Administration and oppo- 
sition — or " Independent members," as I heard these 
last style themselves in debate. The chairman sits 
upon an elevated platform with a canopy over his head. 
He is dressed in robes and a big wig ; and with his red 
face, looked like a tipsy washerwoman who had stolen a 
silk dress and was trying to hide herself under a bundle 
of flax. 

A "noble lord," connected with the ministry, made 
a speech — the question being a proposition to extend 
the right of suffrage — then some one replied ; then Ben 
D'Israeli, author of " Vivian Grey," " Contarini Flem- 
ing," ^fcc, got up and talked, folding his arms, then 
unfolding them, thrusting his thumbs into the arm-holes 
of his vest, then taking them out again, and so on. Ho 
seemed to know what to do with his tongue though, for 
his friends called out " Hear ! Hear ! " very frequently, 
as some of his ideas struck them and their opponents. 
As near as I could see, Ben is not now the dandy he 
once was, but quite a modestly dressed, respectable 
looking gentleman, with black hair and a high forehead. 
Ben is married to a rich widow ; and having entered 
into the matter of fact existence, writes no more novels. 

Several members made speeches, and the words 
"noble lord," "right honorable friend," &c., were ban- 
died about in parhamentary and complimentary style. 
One young member quite amused me, he was so effem- 
inate and Miss Nancv-ish. 



t O N D N . 219 

The exclamations " oh ! oh ! " not uproariously but 
distinctly uttered, were heard in disapproval of an 
assertion; or "Hear! Hear!" when their friend gave 
the opposition a hard pill to swallow. A " Hear ! " 
behind time, sounding as if rising from a pool of turtle 
soup and mutton, mixed with port and sherry, would 
sometimes break forth all alone from some sleepy 
member. 

I saw no members take off their coats to fight; neither 
did they sieze each other by the throat or give the lie; 
nor were any of them drunk. Our House of Kepre- 
sentatives at Washijigton was once a respectable body 
of men, before Democracy was ''run into the ground," 
and tipsy blackguards sent to represent their associates, 
dwelhng mostly in large cities. 

The Commons is the working branch of Parliament; 
the " noble lords " in the other House, bein^ chiefly 
engaged in the afternoon in playing with their watch 
seals and gently rubbing their abdomens. 

April 12. — Went again to-day to the British Museum. 
It would require a week to see it thoroughly. The 
collection of birds and shells, is almost interminable. 
The taste and ingenuity of Nature, displaj'ed here in so 
many creations, is truly amazing. There are a vast 
number of animals, shells, specimens of minerals, petri- 
factions, «&c. The skeletons of the great Megatherium 
and Mastodon are set up ; and there are some fine 
spec'mtjns of petrified animals, trees, shrubs, &c. ; I'elica 
of an antediluvian world. 

The noted Portland Vase is not now exhibited. An 
insane or drunken Englishman, some years ago, in a 
sudden freak, struck it with his cane and broke it. _An 
order is now required for admission to it; but I did not 
take the trouble to get one. 

National Gallery. — Here I expected to find a largo 
collection of fine paintings, remembering that I was in 
the great and rich city of a people who pretend to excel 
all countries in all things. There were only^?;e rooms, 
none of them large, and some of them quite small; 
the aggregate number of paintings therein being few 



220 LONDON. 

indeed. Though it must be confessed there were some 
good ones, by Guido, Titian, Correggio and other big 
pumpkins. I was told that the paintings by English 
artists had been removed to another gallery, which I 
mean to visit hereafter. 

April loth. — I observe that many of the Londoners 
are at this time painting their houses and shops. • It 
seems a waste of money, but I suppose it is '' the fash- 
ion." In two months the coal smoke will destroy all 
their line outsides and bring them down to the general 
dingy color. 

I also observe that on many of the doors of the 
English houses, the old fashioned knocker is retained; 
in some cases, even alter a street door bell has been 
inserted. There are frequently little tin signs on the 
doors of the Doctors, Dentists, &c., requiring visitors 
both to "Knock and EingJ' Somebody then will bo 
sure to hear you; the people in the street cerrtainly. 

This morning I started for Marlborough House to 
see a gallery of painting-s by English artists. On my 
way I met several of the red-coated gentry whom I have 
before spoken of; and who appear to me to be the most 
conceited puppies I have ever seen on this side of the 
Atlantic — our lace and bobbin, holiday soldiers" in 
New York, falling far short of them in this quality. I 
am told that these peacocks are the ''gawds " (or 
guards), whose pepeculiar duty it is, to "^jjcrtect the 
Queen's pusson. " Red jackets and black pants ; with 
httle switches in their hands ; children's caps, set away 
on one side of their heads, and most likely pinned fast,, 
with narrow patent leather straps, hanging down across 
the chin, just under the lower lip ; and their bodies so 
buttoned and screwed up by coat, vest and stock, that 
they appear in the host stages of sti'angulation. These 
fellows can't run away in such a dress ; they m,ust stand 
and face the enemy. 

At Marlborough House I found c trilling collection 
of paintings, much smaller than even " Young- Amer- 
ica" presumes to exhibit. I found nothing of surpass- 
ing merit, so far as my poor judgement goes. " TJncIa 



LONDON. 221 

Toby and the Widow Wadman," by Leslie, caught my 
eye; though it is not up to Sterne. One would not 
suppose, to hear the English talk, that they were so 
very far in the rear of the French in painting and 
sculpture ; but you liavo only to go to their galleries 
and sec for yourself 

In a building near Marlborough House, is the Duko 
of Wellington's funeral car. It is larger than a Phila- 
delphia fire-engine, but not so large as the "triumphal 
ear " of liayraond & Go's Circus, nor with any more 
gildin.^- on it. 

Monmouth Street, inhabited by big-nosed, roguish 
Jew dealers in "old clo," attracts some visitors, who 
often there have their pjocket handkerchiefs, if not their 
money, stolen. Rag Fair, a lower institution of the 
same genus, is sometimes visited by sight-see-ers. It 
is renriarkable to see the quantity of old and ragged 
clothing that is here bought and sold by the poor of 
this " wealthy metropolis." Some for brestd to keep 
starvation away for a moment, are forced to sell part 
of their wretched apparel. Others, with money which 
they have begged or stolen, purchase rags to hide their 
squalid nakedness. Unequal laws, a rotten aristocracy 
and a still more decayed churcjri, must prevail in aland 
where these things be. The "glorious institutions of 
eld England" must be supported; the miserable poor 
of old England must starve, beg, or steal and go to jail. 
I can neither see now nor in the future, such a state of 
things in my native land ; where every inch of soil haa 
not to be tilled, and sharply, to ward off starvation ; 
but where Nature's unbroken earth extends far away 
in millions of acres, calling us to look into its breast and 
see the treasures it has in store for us. Thrice Happy 
America ! 

TIjc dinner-hour came on me today as I was walking 
in Fleet street, so I turned into Bolt court and walked 
into iJr. Johnson's Tavern. My dinner was soon order- 
ed and I sat listening to some young Miss (probably) 
who was playing the piano up stairs. Wsjs it fancy, or 
did I really Fiear the Doctor's voice coming from thdi 

19* 



?23 LONDON. 

"spirit world," where he is engaged on a new edition of 
his Dictionary ? 

Johnson. — Young lady, to spend your time in that 
manner, proves you an ass. 

Young Lady. — (Continuing her playing.) Doctor^ 
you're another. 

The Doctor proceeds with his dictionary. 
Hard. — That which is not soft. 
Soft. — That which is not hard. 

Oats.. — Food for horses. In Sco-tland food for 
men. 

My dinner having been disposed of, I began to reflect 
that to-morrow I am to leave this great and gloomy 
city, which is as sad and depressing as a supper of 
corned beef, lobster and apple dumplings. I was never 
in so melancholy a city as London. Every thing seemed 
stiif, cold and scowling to the stranger. And so must it 
seem to the disregarded poor. One thousand^ eight 
hAindred and fifty four years have passed since thee- 
FAission and teachings of such a being as Jesus Christ 
in the world, yet England remains inore cruel and un- 
just to her lower orders t^n any other civilized govern- 
in en t on the face of the gJobe. 

April \Uh — 0)t the road to lAverpool. — Someone 
has said that man, often unjust to man, is always so to 
woman. Now I have a little further evidence in favor 
of the weaker sex. For at a place where the passen- 
gers were allowed "five minutes for refreshment/' (when 
time goes by express) a gentleman standing at a counter 
behind which were several robust well dressed English 
females, ungallantly remarked as he sat down his cup^ 
" There is no taste of coffee to this." Upon which the; 
principal female, somewhat nettled, appealed to another 
person to whom she had just handed a cup, and with 
something of a female sneer, ^'■This gentleman says^ 
there is no taste of coSee to it !'^ The second English- 
man tasted his beverage and at once rephed, "No more 
there is 'nt; it's more like dirty ditch water !" Further 
comment was unnecessary. 
^^ On arriving at Liverpool, the Waterloo and AdelphI 



LIVEEPOOL. 223 

Hotels' were said to be full ; the " Pacific" having just 
arrived, and the "Arabia" being to sail to-morrow. So 
I was forced to go for one day to the "Victoria," where 
the keeper and nearly all the people are French. The 
house is neither fish nor flesh ; frog nor beef. I do not 
like it. 

Liv er pool y April 15. — Waterloo Hotel. — \ had been 
told that the " old walled town of Chester^" three 
quarters of an hour's ride by railway from this place, 
was worth seeing. So I crossed the river Mersey to 
Birkenhead — the Brooklyn of Liverpool — and took the 
train' for Chester. On my way, I noticed what I have 
often before observed, that the English children (some 
of whom were in the car with me) are much better 
trained than ours ; conducting themselves like little 
gentlemen and ladies, and not dragging their weak and 
afiectionate parents about as if they were the children. 
In the training of youth we are behind the rest of the 
^orld. Our easy government is, doubtless, partly the 
cause why our little boys and girls are considered of so 
much importance. Too little spanking, makes a mai) 
of " Young America," before he has well done " mew- 
ling." 

Well, I reached Chester and could see nothing. Meet- 
ing a cabman in the street, I asked for information. 

" Is there anything to see here ?" 

" Yes, many owld curiosities!" 

" AVhere is the castle V 

" Eight here." 

I went'^right here," but could find no castle. 

After a few other inquiries, with a like fruitless result, 
I bethought me that this was " Passion Week," and 
that I ought to keep cool. So I asked a cabman if he 
could get me to the railroad in time for the next train. 
He did ; and I looked my last on the " old walled town 
of Chester " 

April 16th. — A foggy London day. The coal smoke 
from the steamers on the river, the house-chimneys and 
the factories, hangs over the town ; to which, add the 



224 LIVERPOOL. 

fogs prevailing at this season, and the result is a very- 
dim and gloomy atmosphere. 

"Walked out of town away from the fog. The young 
vegetation is out and looks well in spite of the long 
drouth. In some of the wheat fields, posts with boards 
nailed upon them, caution the public not to " trespass 
on these grounds." The English landscapes, being 
destitute of woods, have a wider sweep than ours. But 
they always leave a number of well shaped trees grow- 
ing here and there, so that the country shall not pre- 
sent too naked an appearance. 

Just out of the city, are a number of villas , as w^e 
m.^j call them, surrounded by high walls, and belong- 
ing perhaps to rich merchants. I observed that one or 
two amiable individuals have caused broken glass bottles 
to be embedded in mortar upon the top of their walls, 
so as to present a cruel barrier against trespassers. 
This invention doubtless originated during a fit of the 
English gout. 

- "^pril \7th. — I heard a young American tell his friend 
last night, that he had gorve out into the couTitry for a 
ride ; had trav.^led fur uve ■ -.iies between high walls, 
but could see nothing ; and had wished onc@ more to 
be by the side of an American rail fence. 

To-day I went beyond the walled district to Hale^ 
twelve miles from Liverpool ; so as to get one more 
view of the rural districts of England. The hedges 
and fields along the road were green, and the orchards 
in blossom. Fine sweeps of changing landscape were 
thrown open before me, as the direction of the road 
varied. The driver of my vehicle pulled up at the 
" Child of Hale" Tavern ; upon the sign of which was 
represented an enormous boy in knee-breeches. 

I walked away towards the River Mersey, surveying 
the houses of the little village as I passed. There were 
some low cottages of whitewashed bri jk, thatched, and 
with two little square windows in front ; ivy or other 
green plants being trained up around the doors. Some of 
them had little door-yards, surrounded b}^ green hedges, 
and filled with trees, shrubs and flowers. Our Amer-. 



HALE. 225 

ican villagers would not have thought these dwel- 
lings showy enough ; yet they might have envied their 
inhabitants the mass of green luxuriance by which 
they were surrounded. Some of the village houses were 
of a better order ; two or three stories in height, and 
with part of their fronts covered by a matting of 
ivy which made natural " green blinds" for the win- 
dows. 

I passed the village church and heard the voice of 
the rooks. From the trees and fields came a multitude 
of whistlings, chirpings and warblings of birds I did 
not know. All else was still ; for the little village is 
very quiet, and you hardly !^see a soul stirring, I walked 
for a long distance between the fresh green hedges, 
parts of which were in blossom, emitting a pleasant 
odor. Yellow dandelions and white daisies specked 
the grass here and there ; and trees in blossom started 
up before me. The river gleamed in the sun ; and 
upon it were small sail vessels going slowly up into 
the English country, or coming down from it to the 
city. Beyond the river, at long intervals, the tall chim- 
neys of some manufactories sent out lines of wriggling 
smoke over the lower sky, which looked like great fly- 
ing serpents. This is one of the features of many Eng- 
lish landscapes ; and in the opinion of some persons, 
greatly mars the view. 

After returning to the village, and wishing that the 
better class of houses had not such high walls or 
hedges, so that one could look in upon their floral 
treasures, I took my vehicle for Liverpool. In the 
pleasant scenes of such little hamlets as Hale, the eyes 
and heart of a lover of nature can revel. None others 
should go there. 

Evening. — "Walking through one of the most bust- 
ling streets to-night, I saw a crowd and heard a violent 
commotion. Upon enquiring the cause, I was told that 
some women were fighting. The numerous sig/iS in 
the city, of "Wine and Spirit Vaults," are not up for 
nothing. Go it, Mrs. Bull ! the English public looks on 



226 LIVERPOOL. 

with satisfaction and applauds'tlie one with the largest 
handfalls of hair. 

Aioril {'Qth. — Spent the day in eating and drinking, 
digesting and reflecting. To-morrow I am " homeward 
bound." How shall I like " home as found?" Better 
than anything I have yet seen, I" calculate." 

I have only to remark under this date that if we are 
to continue brutal flesh eaters, let us import English 
beef and mutton. That man ought to live on vegetable 
food, I believe; and that he can do so. That he 
will do it when he comes to be partially civilized I have 
no manner of doubt. Man is now the greatest beast 
on the face of the earth. And our form of government 
will not correct him either ! 

April i9th. — Afternoon. — On board the American 
steamer " Pacific," who sits quietly like a duck upon the 
water that keeps her " quack" within her. There is a 
doctor attached to the vessel. The passengers were 
brought away from the dock at Liverpool by a small 
steamer down the river to the Pacific. Now we take 
the mails on board ; and now we put her nose towards 
the Atlantic. 

Old Ocean came up to meet us with a smooth face 
and an inviting aspect. Wait a bit. General ; we'll see 
how you behave. 

White birds follow our ship, circling and wheeling, 
yet still keeping pace with us. No Morgan Iron 
Works, no Allaire or Novelty Works made their ma- 
chinery. 

England and Ireland sink behind us like green leaves 
into the water. They are gone. We are upon the great 
Bea. 

The sickness of the sea comes over us. The ladies, 
in particular, look wretched. The Captain has cross- 
ed two hundred and thirty-six times, in various ships, 
yet is always sick when the wind blows. Some bowels 
are thus imperfectly made. 

Would you like nie io tell you what is this seasick- 
ness ? Imagine a can of lamp-oil with a hundred lim- 
ber feet striving to get down your throat, while your 



THE OCEAN. 227 

ioner works come up and endeavor to repel the in- 
truder. The fight takes phice in the neighborhood of 
your palate ; so that you have a taste of the whole 
affair. 

* Ocean travelling is disgusting and ought to be put a 
stop to. 

The sun rises out of the water, and having no where 
to go, sinks down into it again at night. 

Sunday arrives. There is a priest on board who is 
helplessly sea-sick. There is a missionary on board 
who sits by the smoke pipe, and himself sm.okes a short 
pipe. "His face is covered with hair. He is a " brick," 
he is ; and he preaches. A good short sermon with a 
point to it ; not one of those drowsy long-winded dis- 
courses which parab/ze the flies upon the wall, so that 
they do not know which is their best foot to put forward 
for an hour atterward ; and which drive the spiders into 
their holes where they throw themselves upon their 
backs and stuff their web into their ears. 

Icebergs appear. We run close by a small one, fifty 
feet high and seventy-five feet long. It is shaped like 
a walrus with head erect. Its color is of a pure gleaming 
white. Contact with it in the night would send ship and 
all to the bottom. Such risks we must run if v»'e go to 
sea. 

Other icebergs are seen in various directions. There 
is one which they estimate to be two hundred feet 
high : slinped like a castle, v.'ith towers and battle- 
meats. The atmosphere around for miles is made cold 
by them. 

Our machinery here gets out of order ; and we are 
obhged to '' lay to" and tinker it for several hours. A 
pretty place, truly, for rickety engines. But the wea- 
ther is calra, else we should feel anxious. 

We are now off the southern extremity of the Banks 
of Newfoundland. Mother Carey's chickens come and 
fly round us, and sport in the water. The old hen re- 
mains at home. 

In the night we had a gale. Books flew off the table ; 
stools jumped across state-rooms ; and the passengers 



228 N E w ' y o R K . 

were like to roll out of their berths. It is a good sea 
boat, so they say ; therefore let us trust to luck. By 
morning the gale has abated, and we are all right 
again. • 

We are nearing the American coast. Fogs surround 
us. The sun is obscured and cannot be " taken," so as 
to give us our latitude and longitude. The lead is 
thrown and the ship goes forward cautiously. At last 
she throws up a rocket into the gloom, and hangs out a 
signal light. Soon from the fog- bank there starts forth 
a small vessel ; it is one of the pilot-boats, one hundred 
and fifty miles from shore. He has a newspaper or 
two, more than a week old, and the passengers jump 
at them. The pilot comes on board, and is now our 
Captain. No use to heave the lead for him. He knows 
every inch of the water by night or day. 

Our last sea dinner is placed upon the table. The 
Captain, as usual, furnishes champagne. The passen- 
gers, as usual, depute one of their number to make a 
speech. The Captain, as usual, is lauded to the skies 
for his skill and seamanship; and thanked, as usual, 
for not wrecking the vessel, and thus destroying the 
passengers and himself. The Captain, as usual, returns 
thanks. Never had a better set ef passengers ; would 
like to sail with them for ever. Denies, as usual, having 
any skill, but always means to do his duty. Then, as 
usual, there is great applause ; thumping upon the table 
and jingling of wine glasses. 

Morning breaks on the 1st of May, 1854. The fog3 
are gone ; and the sky is clear and briUiant. My heart 
leaps up like a child \yith the Christmas sun. Before 
me is Americ^i ! 

The beautiful bay of New York, adorning the plea- 
santest city in the world, w^inds its curved shores be- 
hind the ship as we go on. All faces smile. The land, 
the water and the trees are smihng too. The gun is 
fired and we wheel into the dock where the ship is to 
rest. The strong arms of my native land are around 
us.. We are safe! 

FINIS. X, 







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